Finding My Way
by VideoGamePrincess
Summary: Ash's disappearance has left Misty and friends baffled and worried that their friend may never come home. While the others are busy mourning his "death," however, Misty is left being able to see his ghost! She has one last chance to bring him back to life, if she can find his body and reunite the two in time. But is it already too late? Pokeshipping Contestshipping
1. Chapter 1: The Wacky Fortuneteller

**A/N: Here I am again, me and my Pokéshipping self! Maybe you're not sick of my Ash and Misty pairing yet :P If so, well, great news! XD This new story is not only being written by yours truly *takes a bow*, it is also being written by my wonderful friend videogamenerd101! :D Our wonderful little collaboration will consist of many pairings, not just Pokéshippng, because, quite frankly, we're awesome like that! ;D I want to thank Sissy for her great job at editing and adding to this chapter; I couldn't have done this without her! And last, but certainly not least, don't forget to R & R! :) P.S. As a final note, Sissy will be doing the even chapters, and I will be doing the odd. :) Also, we would also like to mention that you'll find May really OOC at several parts throughout the fic. This is being done on purpose and we're aware of this, because her OOCness is for the plot. You'll see what we mean and I hope you'll be relieved once the reason for her behavior is revealed later on, but she'll be IC for the majority of this story.**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon. Well, maybe just a**—***cue Sissy's smack in the face here* Second thought, hehe, can't say we do :P Love ya, Sis! On with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Wacky Fortune-teller**

**Top ten reasons why I officially don't like going to the Cerulean City Waterflower Festival:**

**10. The food tastes horrible and is **_**way**_** too expensive.**

**9. Most of the games don't even work, and if they do, they're seriously rigged.**

**8. And I should know this, since my sisters are the **_**hosts**_** of this lovely festival.**

**7. I have to participate in any and everything they tell me to (not something I'm quite fond of, by the way).**

**6. Water show. As if we don't have enough of them already.**

**5. I have to be in said water show, normally in some insignificant role that requires little to no acting on my part, but still incredibly time-consuming.**

**4. May has the opportunity to drag me all over the place, since my sisters gave her implicit instructions to keep an eye on me.**

**3. All May wants to do is ride the Ferris wheel and eat funnel cake.**

**2. Until she changed her mind, and decided we should go see a fortune-teller. Which I responded to with **_**NO Way!**_

And the number one reason I hate the Cerulean City Waterflower Festival?

**1. I may or may not be able to see my best friend the entire time. Which, on a typical day, would be totally normal, aside from the fact that he's **_**missing**_** and presumed **_**dead**_**.**

"Come on, Mist. It'll be fun! Just this once?" Despite the fact that May had called me by a name I preferred only Ash use—it had a slightly better, if not special, ring to it—I wasn't about to start another argument.

"Mist-_y_," I corrected, narrowing my eyes as I scowled at her. "And I don't know, May. I don't really think it's the best idea…"

"But wouldn't you _love_ to find out what your future holds? Don't tell me you've _never_ been curious about it," she retorted, staring at me just as icily.

"Well…" She sighed, shutting her eyes and shaking her head one good time.

"You're coming, Misty. Whether you like it or not," she answered, grabbing me by one arm and dragging me toward the innocuous-looking tent that had the words "_Madame Zettl—Fortune-teller_" scrawled across the front in a loopy, eighteenth century sort of cursive.

"But what if she's just some whackjob?" I found myself asking, which, despite what I'd intended to happen, didn't seem to faze May a bit.

She shrugged her shoulders, saying, "Then that's that. It's not like it's costing us anything, and it's not going to hurt us. The worst it could do is give us some type of horrible fortune that just so happened to be true." I shuddered, vaguely considering the possibilities of what Madame Zettl just might have to say about my life.

"Don't tell me the strong and mighty tomboy of a mermaid Misty is _scared_ of getting her fortune told?" May teased, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah Mist. Why the heck would you have any reason to be _scared?_" Ash quipped, and I glared at him. Too bad May couldn't see him (or hear him, for that matter), or I'd have thrown quite a string of words at that annoying ghost. Words that I'm not very fond of repeating, either.

Instead, I opted for the obvious reply. "_Scared?_ As if." I glanced over at May to make sure she didn't think I was some kind of lunatic for staring off into space like I'd just seen a ghost. Except, truthfully, I had. She couldn't know that, though. No one could.

And even if she could, it's not like she'd believe it. That I could see Ash, I mean. I'd be thrown into the next loony bin within walking distance from the Cerulean City Water Festival. "Then come _on_," she remarked hastily, gesturing toward the tent's ominous opening.

I followed her reluctantly, whispering to Ash, who'd so blatantly become my laughing shadow, "Shut up, and go away. Before I snap a limb off."

"Try me," he replied, rolling his eyes, clearly bemused by my insistence of inflicting any mortal pain on him. Because technically, I couldn't. He didn't _think_ I could, anyway. As soon as I stepped foot into the purple tent, I noticed a short, middle-aged woman, with graying light brown hair and piercing emerald eyes that did nothing but stare at me. Or, more accurately, at the ghost boy smirking beside me.

"You must be Madame Zettl," May inferred, walking over to the lady.

"Why yes, that would be me," she replied, never tearing her penetrating gaze from us. "Is there something you need?"

"Oh," May said, astonished that the lady was even asking. "My friend and I here were wondering if you could read our fortunes to us."

"Ah, yes, of course." She nodded, glancing back and forth between us.

"She can see you?" I asked, hoping May was too busy to hear me. Ash sighed, rolling his eyes again.

"For the trillionth time, only _you_ can see me. Arceus knows why, but that's how it happened. But she can tell that some sort of 'unnatural presence' is here, if that's what you're wondering," he answered, putting air quotes around the "unnatural presence" thing. Yeah, unnatural all right. More like just plain old creepy.

Madame Zettl smiled endearingly up at May, who was overjoyed at the thought of getting her fortune read. I, on the other hand, was slightly less than thrilled, if not on the brink of depression. Madame Z. naturally consulted her crystal ball, the centerpiece of the entire tent (not to mention the only thing in it, aside from the table the crystal ball was balanced on, the chair May sat in, and Madame Zettl's own chair), gazing into it as intently as I gazed into Ash's chocolate-y brown eyes the last time I ever truly saw him. When everyone else could, I mean. I gulped, my heart breaking slightly at the thought, until I realized that there was no point in being hurt anymore, especially since I could still see him. Not everyone can say that, though. Not even Ash's own mother.

"Ah, I see it now. Young one, I can tell you'll be quite successful in life, if you haven't been already." Which she had. On top of being Johto's Top Coordinator, she had successfully grabbed the title of the Hoenn Princess, a title she's grown quite fond of over the years.

She nodded as Madame Zettl continued on. "You enjoy teaching, don't you?" This question surprised May, whose face quickly developed an enthused expression on it.

"Why yes, Madame Zettl," she anxiously replied, beaming at the older lady.

"Wonderful. I do see that career in your future, if you so choose to take that path." She stared one last time into her crystal ball, then looked up at May and said, "You've broken quite a few hearts, haven't you?"

_Boy, has she ever!_ I thought, rolling my eyes over at Ash, who was getting quite a kick out of it.

"First Drew. Then Harley. Then back to Drew. Then Paul. And now she's got the hots for Drew all over again!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "Glad I was gone before she had the chance to chase me, too. She'll never learn."

"Like you have," I bit back. Learned, I mean. Luckily, May didn't hear me. She was too busy thinking it all over in her head. Finally, she slowly nodded.

"I see. Well, there's one boy you've had your sights on for quite some time, I'm sure. I can't tell you it'll end happily, though. Just be mindful of what I'm saying, dear: don't expect him to put his heart on the line time and time again if you're going to keep toying with it. He isn't a fool, though you treat him as though he were."

Ouch. That had to hurt. May's face fell, if only for a moment, as she said, "Is that all?" Madame Zettl nodded, still giving May the warmest smile she could muster. "Well, thank you, Madame."

I was pretty sure May was actually thinking somewhere along the lines of, _Misty was right! This lady _is_ a total whack-a-doo!_ But as anxious as I had been about getting my fortune read before, now I only felt something slightly akin to curiosity. And of course, Ash pushing me toward May's chair wasn't exactly giving me much of a choice in the matter.

She stared into her crystal ball a few seconds, seeming slightly disinterested in my fortune. At least it seemed that way, until I noticed the surprise in her eyes and the pallid color of her face. "You can see him, can't you?" she asked, glancing up at me. "The boy, I mean."

"Boy? What b—" I cut May off, holding a hand in the air at her as I tried to tell Madame Z. without arousing May's suspicions. You know how gushy and boy crazy she can be. And I certainly didn't think _that_ particular boy was in a situation ideal for her to know about.

"How do you know?" I asked, staring at the crystal ball as if it held all the answers to my somewhat confusing, ever complicated life.

Instead of answering my question, she prattled on with my fortune. "He has a…certain attachment to you. One that apparently, _death_"—I winced at the word—"couldn't even sever."

"Are you suggesting that some stalker spirit ghost boy has been following Misty around? That's stupid!" May pointed out, laughing at how senseless it sounded. "Why can't I see him?" It didn't occur to me why May would want to see him, when obviously she had no idea it was really Ash, so I didn't bother to answer. Madame Zettl didn't either.

"I would say it's a gift that you can do that, but others would call it a curse. Take it however you'd like."

"But," I began, "I thought ghosts only stayed until their unfinished business is taken care of."

"Sadly, dear, I believe _you_ are his unfinished business. The only thing, er, person, keeping him tied down to this world."

"Great," I muttered, shaking my head. "But that can't be it! All we ever did was fight anyway."

"_Did?_ That's all we ever _do_, Mist. My sudden 'transformation' certainly didn't change _that_," he pointed out with a smirk, putting a finger to my lips to keep me from giving some snappy retort back. Not that I would've anyway. May would've thought I was as wacky as the fortune-teller if I had.

"Well, things happen for a reason, my dear. Many things, as you and I both know, that are completely out of our control. Now," she sighed, looking back into her crystal ball. "To finish your fortune." She glanced back up, saying, "You're the city's Gym Leader, no?"

"I was, well…until Ash…"—I shuddered. _Disappeared._ Somehow I just couldn't bring myself to say that word—"Then I decided to take some time off."

"Oh? To find your own way," she suggested.

"Find my own way?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Certainly. Despite your misgivings about it, you don't really want to stay Gym Leader forever, right? In fact, you planned on becoming the greatest Water Pokémon trainer ever lived quite a few years back, when you were still traveling with the boy."

"Wow, for a whackjob, she sure knows how to use that crystal ball of hers," Ash stated, seeming almost as amazed as I felt.

"Wait, _Ash_ is the boy you've been talking about?" May whined, her voice becoming incredibly squeaky and high-pitched, like it normally did when she was truly shocked. "But that's not fair! How come she gets to see him and no one else can?!"

"Gosh, I wish she'd just shut up," he muttered, staring up at the ceiling. "It's not like we had much of a say about who got to see me and who didn't." I decided it'd be best to keep ignoring her, like I'd been doing. Madame Z. agreed.

"You still have that spark, that hope that your dream will come true. But while you want it to, you certainly don't want it to happen without _him_." It took me a second to realize whom she was implying, but Ash had clearly already figured it out.

"She's talking about me, Mist," he replied, sighing.

"Shut up," I quipped through clenched teeth.

"Excuse me?" Madame Z. asked, eyeing me warily.

"Oh, not you, Madame. I'm sorry. I was talking to…" I trailed off, not really wanting May to have another fit about it. Not being able to see Ash, I mean. Which I'm one hundred percent positive is what would happen if I had even mentioned that I'd been talking to him.

"Ah, I see. Well, I can certainly tell you you'll reach your dreams, though they might very well change along the way. And it certainly won't be easy, especially with his death being so heavy on your heart, whether he's still here or not. But just because his journey is over certainly doesn't mean yours is. Not by a long shot. My dear, yours has only just begun."

* * *

"Jeez, Mist, you were totally right! She was such a nut! I mean, honestly, me? Playing with a guy's heart? Please," she said, rolling her eyes over at me.

Ash laughed, saying, "What kind of meds has she been taking? Obviously she's on something. Denial isn't gonna get her anywhere in life." I smiled, almost wanting to laugh as well.

"And then the whole 'I-see-dead-people' thing? As if."

"Dead person, May, not people," I replied, sighing impatiently. She waved it off, shrugging her shoulders.

"Person, people. Like it really matters. Not to mention she thought it was Ash! Hmph," she complained.

"And why wouldn't it be Ash, May?" I asked, frowning slightly as I froze in place.

"You two never liked each other, as far as I know. Probably even hated each other, after all the times you fought with him. Plus, he's only _missing!_ It's not like he's actually dead yet. And well, he's obviously always had a thing for me. Ever since he met me, I mean." I rolled my eyes, chuckling slightly.

How clueless and hopeless can she get, right? "Bleh, please. I never had a 'thing' for May. Sure, she's easy on the eyes, but—hey, what was that for?!" Ash exclaimed, rubbing at the red welt I'd just left across his arm.

"Oops," I mouthed with a smirk. "Maybe he did, but did it ever occur to you, May, that Madame Z. never implied that it was because he was in love with me or anything?" Apparently not, based on the confused expression she was wearing.

"But…that's the only possible explanation, Misty!" she exclaimed, squeaking in that annoyingly high-pitched tone again. "Can't you see?" Ash face-palmed, shaking his head in defeat.

"She's not going to listen to you, Mist."

"I know," I answered them both. "Well, it's a good thing none of it was real, eh?" May shrugged her shoulders again, seemingly more unsure about the whole thing than she'd originally let on.

"Some of it might've been," she muttered, but somehow I didn't think she was talking to me. Her eyes drifted towards something else and I followed her gaze.

"Well, if it isn't Drew!" And no sooner had she said it had the green-eyed, grassy-haired rival of hers strolled into view. "Oh, I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and nuzzling her face into his chest.

He sighed, hugging her back as he said, "Well hello there, May. It's been a while… hasn't it?" His voice broke slightly on her name, but so far as I could tell, she hadn't noticed.

"Doesn't she realize what she's doing to the guy? If she keeps this up, she's gonna isolate him from everybody and crush his heart even more than she already has!" I could tell by Ash's tone that he really wished she could hear him, but of course, she couldn't. No one could. Except for me, that is.

"And since when did you know anything about the heart and its emotions, Mr. Oblivious? It's not like you were interested in the millions of girls that practically flung themselves at you," I pointed out, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You would know, right? Well, Misty, don't think for one second that what you're telling yourself is true! Sure, I never got serious with anybody"—I shot a look at him that said, as if—"but did it ever occur to you that just _maybe_ I had feelings for one of those girls?"

No, it hadn't.

But like I was going to admit that to the ghost kid. "Just shut up!" I screamed, and for once, he listened. He also dematerialized right before my very eyes. He'd be back though, like he always was. Or so I hoped.

I averted my gaze back at May and Drew, noticing how giddy she seemed to be with Drew around. It was such a shame that the look in Drew's eyes was the complete opposite of May's behavior: bittersweet and sorrowful. At least, that's what it looked like to me. I immediately knew the one thing that could possibly be in the back of his mind right now. Memories he probably wished would just wash away, like a huge wave washing the remains of whatever's left on an empty beach shore.

The memories of the breakup. No, let me fix that. The memories of the break_ups_.

* * *

"And then she was like, 'You can see him, can't you? The boy, I mean.' And I'm just like 'Boy, what boy?' Then she tells Misty that the boy is Ash!" May exclaimed as she crossed her arms in a pouty manner, sitting with me at Mrs. Ketchum's dining room table. "But that _so_ can't be true. I mean, total whackjob, right?"

Brock shook his head. "I don't know. I've heard stranger things than that," he muttered, and I knew exactly what he was talking about. The day Ash had had his little out-of-body experience at the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, nearly five years ago. Though we couldn't see him, I could almost hear him, and I swear to this day he had lifted me off the ground and nearly gave me a heart attack!

Brock never believed me, until Ash finally admitted to it. "Seriously? You've got to be kidding me! There is _nothing_ on this planet stra—"

"Pardon me, but what was this fortune-teller's name again?" Mrs. Ketchum asked with a sweet smile, stepping into the dining room and hanging up the cordless phone she'd just been using.

"Uh, Madame Zettl, why?" Suddenly, I saw Mrs. Ketchum's face go white as a ghost's. And I should know, seeing Ash constantly throughout the day.

"Oh dear," she mumbled, looking over at me. "No reason. Just simple curiosity. Misty, could I borrow you for a second?" I nodded, standing up and following Mrs. Ketchum to the back porch.

"She knows Madame Z., Mist," Ash pointed out. "That's why she acted the way she did in the dining room. Obviously she knows something we don't." I sighed. Of course she did. Moms always know, especially his.

"I know, I know," I hissed through clenched teeth, hoping his mother wouldn't hear me. But with my luck, she did.

"Know what, Misty?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she gestured for me to sit by her on the porch swing.

"Oh, nothing," I lied, but she saw right through it.

"Madame Zettl…she was right, wasn't she?" she wondered, gazing up at the constellations. Her eyes twinkled so brightly in the moonlight, they almost looked like stars themselves. Beautifully crafted stars. I looked away, unable to say anything. To let her know that I could still see her son, when she wouldn't ever get the chance to see him again, that shattered what was left of my broken heart.

I started to cry. I couldn't help it. She held me close, patting my back as I wept for her. For her son. "Mrs. Ketchum…I'm just…so sorry!" I cried out. That's when she knew that she had been right.

I didn't cry for long. But she kept holding onto me, like she'd fall apart without me steadying her. "Is he…out here, now?" I nodded, hoping she could tell. "Can he hear me?" Again, I nodded.

I pulled away, looking over at Ash and pointing. He had his hat pulled over his face, where I knew he'd also been crying. It's hard seeing your mother and knowing you won't ever be able to talk to her again, along with the fact that she couldn't see you, anyways. His cheeks were wet, glistening in the starlight, and my heart started cracking all over again. "Ash, honey, I know you're there."

He looked up, a pained expression on his face. "Mom," he said, even though he knew she wouldn't hear him. "I miss you."

"I…I just want to tell you how much I love you. Please, don't you ever forget that."

"I won't, Mom," he replied, wishing desperately she could hear him. "I promise."

"And honey?" Her voice broke, struggling to keep its equanimity. "I miss you. So much. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. Your sparkling brown eyes, your scruffy black hair that was so much like your father's. Your mischievous little smile that lit up the entire world when you came into it. My world, anyway."

She was on the verge of tears, I knew, and so was Ash. He strode over to her side, and attempted to embrace her, one last time. "I love you, Mom," he said, kissing her cheek. And I think she felt him. Heard him, too.

She looked dazed, but I knew it meant everything to her when he did that. "I love you, too, son."

"Mrs. Ketchum?" I asked, facing her finally. "I know this is random and all, but could you please not tell May? About Ash, I mean. Brock might believe it, but May will just think I'm as crazy as that fortune-teller."

"Oh, Misty," she laughed timidly. "You worry too much. But I won't say a word. I promise." She smiled weakly as she started towards the door.

After she'd left, Ash took the vacant seat beside me. He didn't say anything for quite some time, and I was wondering if he'd just call it a night and disappear. But he didn't. He just sat there, looking pretty darned happy for a dead guy, if you ask me. Finally, he spoke up.

"It was…really good to see my mom again, Misty," he said, looking over at me with a hint of melancholy in his voice. "Thank you." I didn't answer. He knew I wasn't going to anyway. After a few more minutes, he dematerialized, leaving me alone on Mrs. Ketchum's back porch to ponder what Madame Zettl had said.


	2. Chapter 2: The Unlikely Proposal

**A/N: Hey guys, this is videogamenerd101. I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you'll enjoy this one, especially with all the upcoming drama. I want to mention that I'm actually more of a ContestShipper (it's my Pokémon OTP), so my chapters may have more drama with May than PrincessVictory's chapters. The writing style may seem different because Sarah wrote the previous chapter, but enjoy nonetheless!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Unlikely Proposal**

**Top five reasons why I hate spending the night at someone else's place:**

**5. If I'm invited over, there's a 99.9% chance that someone else will be invited over as well.**

**4. I'm always expected to wake up really early in the morning just to eat breakfast. Like I actually have to eat so early in the morning. Can't I just wait a few more hours?**

**3. It's hard not to stay asleep when the guest who's staying over is May, and all she wants to do is eat… well, most of the time, at least.**

**2. Delia expects me to eat everything and anything she places on the table. Hey, I know you care about me, but I'm not the same as people like Ash or May!**

And the number one reason why I hate staying over at someone else's place?

**1. I won't be able to talk with Ash at all, who happens to be a ghost, or else May will think I'm going mental and she'll call the hospital and throw me in the loony bin.**

"Rise and shine, Misty," cooed a familiar, girly voice. "It's time to wake up."

I turned around in bed, hoping that the ignorance I was giving would be enough to shut her up. "Go away," I groaned tiredly.

"Misty, it's _ten o' clock_," she pointed out, stressing the time. "You're the only one in bed. Everybody else is already waiting at the table." She paused, gracing me with a few precious seconds of complete silence. "Delia's making breakfast, you know… It would be a shame if we left you out, especially while it's still hot."

_Dear Arceus, will she ever stop bugging me?_

"Fine, fine," I finally admitted with a sigh of reluctance. "Just give me some time to get ready, okay?" I cocked my head just a tad bit so my eyes could meet her sapphire gaze.

"Of course!" May squealed. "I'll be at the breakfast table. Hurry up, or we'll eat it all!" She happily skipped out of the guest room I was in and toward the breakfast table.

I grumpily slipped out of bed, the comfort of the sheets completely out of my reach. I quickly changed out of my pajamas and into a more casual outfit: a yellow tank top, a blue vest that went down to my ribs, denim shorts that seemed to be fading by the day, and a pair of red sneakers.

The room wasn't overly decorated and pretty simple, if I did say so myself. The walls were painted a very light green with a bed standing against the back wall. A small lamp perched on a wooden bedside table. There was a bookshelf in one corner of the room, but most of the books didn't strike me as very interesting. They were all either cooking books that Delia used or Mr. Ketchum's rusty, old books containing myths on legendary Pokémon. Thanks to my adventures with Ash and what he had told me about all of his journeys with May, Dawn, and Iris, almost all of the myths were familiar to me.

After I tied my fiery red hair into my signature side ponytail, I strutted to the breakfast table where my plate eagerly awaited me.

_Funny, I thought they weren't going to leave me anything._

Even from the guest room, I could already smell the delicious scents of pancakes, sausage, eggs, and many other common morning delectables. When I reached the table, I saw May stuffing almost every kind of food on the table into her mouth. A whole feast was sitting there, just for her. I took a seat across from the famished brunette and filled up my plate with pancakes. As I grabbed the bottle of maple syrup, Delia arrived and sat down with a small bowl of various fruits.

"Good morning, Misty," she said, noticing my presence. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"I guess I did," I replied, taking a bite of my pancakes. "I would've slept better if May didn't wake me up." I eyed May in a jeering yet playful manner.

"Hey, what are you looking at me for?!" May protested with a mouthful of eggs and bacon in her mouth, causing her complaint to sound muffled. Delia giggled softly at the young brunette's remark. I just rolled my eyes and pretended that I had said nothing.

"So, do you girls have any plans for today?" wondered Delia aloud to May and me. "It's really nice out, and it's not every day that May gets to come visit us in Pallet Town. Plus, it would be a nice opportunity for the two of you to get to know each other better."

May tapped her chin, an inquisitive look on her face. Suddenly, her face beamed.

_Oh boy_, I thought. _This better be good…_

"I know where we can go!" exclaimed the brunette, her gravity-defying hair that stuck out to the left and right bobbing up. She tightened the green bandana around her head before continuing. "We could go shopping! I know there aren't a lot of good places to shop here in Pallet Town, but do you have any recommendations for us, Ms. Ketchum?"

"Well…" Delia began, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It depends on what you're looking for. If you want to shop for some plants and flowers, I suggest the Xanadu Nursery in the outskirts of town. There's a small shopping center in town square, although it probably doesn't compare to what they have in Petalburg City or Cerulean City, but they still offer quite a nice variety of clothing there. There's also a store for all of your Pokémon wants and necessities near the shopping center. I think you'll both love it. They carry a large range of items. Doesn't matter if you're a Trainer, a Gym Leader like Misty—"

"Excuse me, Delia," I interrupted, "but I'm the _former_ Gym Leader of Cerulean City."

Delia's face went blank for a while, but she came back to her senses in a matter of seconds, a glint of care in her chocolate brown eyes that very much resembled Ash's. "Oh… well, I'm sorry for that mistake, Misty."

"It's okay. You were saying?" I urged as I swallowed the last bit of pancake on my plate.

Delia cleared her throat and continued on. "So, as I said, the store contains a large range of Pokémon-related items. It doesn't matter if you're a Trainer, a Coordinator—"

"A _Top_ Coordinator, actually," May chimed in with a prideful smirk.

A small smile lit up on Delia's face. "Yes, of course, May. Even Top Coordinators. Basically, the store contains Pokémon merchandise that I think you both will love. It's not that grand, since this is Pallet Town we're talking about, but it's a great shopping place to visit."

"Hmm…" May was thinking of which suggestions we should go to. At least, that's what I thought she was doing. "Wait… Why don't we go to all of those places? What do you think, Misty? It'll be so much fun!"

"Wonderful…" I muttered under my breath. Lucky for me, neither of them heard me. I cleared my throat, and in a louder voice, I said in a glum, slightly sardonic tone, "Sounds fun, May. I'm so excited."

"Yay!" shouted May excitedly. "Let's leave right now!"

"Hold up, May," said Delia, grabbing the brunette's wrist so she couldn't run away. "I think you should finish your food first."

May looked down at her plate of food, waffles and French toast scattered all over it. She blushed a very faint red of embarrassment and said, "Oh yeah… Uh, sorry Mrs. Ketchum." She sat back down and hurriedly shoveled in the leftover breakfast.

"Please, just call me Delia," she stated. "But anyways, you two can head out just as soon as May has finished her food. And don't forget to have fun, girls!" She smiled sweetly at us before standing up and turning to go. Suddenly, she froze in her tracks and turned her head to face us for one last time. "Oh yes, and I believe that the Xanadu Nursery is the closest from here." Finally, she walked away.

Not long after, May finished her breakfast. We finally headed out the door of the Ketchum household and into the warm, sunny afternoon. There was a gentle breeze in the air, lightly swaying mine and May's hair in the direction of the wind. There were hardly any clouds outside, and if there were any, they were incredibly small. Other houses that were similar to the Ketchums' dotted the countryside.

"Let's go to the Xanadu Nursery first!" suggested May. "Mrs. Ketchum… err, Delia said that it's the closest store from here."

"Sounds good to me," I responded, not bothering to make eye contact with her as I crossed my arms. She grinned gratefully at me and then strolled down the dirt path, me following her from behind.

_The Xanadu Nursery… The name sounds familiar…_

Then it hit me. The Xanadu Nursery was the greenhouse where Ash, Brock, and I had gone to get some flowers for Delia, but we'd just ended up getting into another problem with Team Rocket. I wondered how Florinda and Potter were doing with their relationship and all. I couldn't help but stifle a laugh when I remembered Brock's saddened expression when he'd seen Florinda choose Potter over him. Fortunately, May didn't hear my muffled laughter as we ambled down the quiet dirt road.

As the greenhouse started to come into view, I realized that something, or rather, some_one_ was missing. May was still skipping happily in front of me, and Delia was at the house. So who could it have been? Then I remembered.

_Ash… Where is he?_

I surveyed my surroundings, but all I saw were the grassy plains, occasional trees and houses, and May. But nope, Ash wasn't anywhere to be seen.

_I wonder where he could've gone…_

* * *

Just like May had insisted, our first stop was at the Xanadu Nursery. The outside of the greenhouse was decorated with different kinds of plants and trees. It seemed like nothing much had been renovated (I didn't think that anything had, anyway). It was still the glass dome I remembered it to be. May and I entered the building, only for me to see two familiar faces.

"Florinda? Potter?" I spoke up. "It sure has been a long time."

The two turned around to face May and me. Although the last time I had seen them was five years ago, I still remembered the both of them clearly. Florinda's long, purple hair still flowed beautifully, the locks just barely reaching her hips. Potter's messy, brown hair was still tied in the same ponytail, and the gloves he wore were slightly covered with dirt, most likely from the work he had been doing in the greenhouse.

"Misty!" exclaimed Florinda. "Long time no see! What brings you here?" The two of them approached us, hand in hand.

"Hey guys," I greeted. "I'm here with my friend May"—I gestured toward her—"to go shopping. May's from the Hoenn region, so it isn't every day that she gets to come to Pallet Town."

"Well, nice to meet you, May!" said Potter. "That must be a long ways away. What brings you here to Kanto?"

"I came here to go to the Cerulean City Waterflower Festival with Misty here," she answered. "Tomorrow's my last day, so Delia suggested that Misty and I hang out for a while." I noticed her eyes drift to Florinda and Potter's entwined hands. Her face suddenly looked shocked, like she'd just seen something incredibly mind-blowing. Then she said, "Is that a ring?"

Florinda looked down at her hand, and yes, there really was a ring. A beautiful, two-karat diamond ring, to be exact. For some reason, the couple blushed in unison. The purple-haired girl timidly replied, "…Yes, it is."

May gasped, and then she started jumping up and down, just like she did when she was really excited about something. "Does that mean you two are engaged?!"

The blush on the couple's faces turned an even darker shade of red. "I guess you could put it like that…" answered Potter.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" squealed May in her ever annoying, high-pitched voice. "I can't believe it! I just have to attend the wedding! When is it?! Oh, if you don't tell me, I'm gonna die from excitement!"

The air in the room became pleasantly lighter as the couple told the two of us about the wedding date and all of their plans for the big day. But I didn't pay too much attention to them; nodding at every other word was enough to satisfy them. Thankfully, May more than made up for my indifference with all the gushing she was doing. I was more focused on finding that someone, just in case he was actually in the room. But I never could find Ash.

I sighed, and turned my attention to Florinda and Potter. For some reason, the fact that they were engaged… wait, scratch that. The mere fact that they were together kept bugging me for some reason, and the thought of them together reminded me of Ash. Why? I didn't know.

_Where is he…?_

* * *

After a long talk about Florinda and Potter's future wedding and buying a pot of thornless, crimson red roses for May (she claimed that the roses reminded her of Drew) and a pot of daisies, violets, and lilies for my sisters, we finally headed off for the small shopping center in the middle of Pallet Town's square. It wasn't too long of a walk, although the flower pots were definitely dragging us down. When we finally got there, we saw people all over the place, either standing in place and chatting or walking in and out of the various stores. Little children ran around in circles, chasing their parents' Pokémon.

Unlike the previous dirt paths May and I had been walking on earlier, we were walking on a road made entirely of brick. The shops were fairly small, but there were a good number of them dotting the middle of town.

"Which store do you want to go first?" asked May, elbowing me in the ribs.

"Uh…" I took a look around, but I saw nothing that interested me. I didn't spot Ash either. "I guess you can pick."

May beamed. "Oh, goodie!" May eyed a particular store, and then suddenly grabbed my arm. The flower pot in my hand almost fell, but thanks to my Persian-like reflexes, I kept my balance. Well, mostly. "I know just the place to go!"

She dragged me toward the conveniently nearby store that was painted a bright cyan on the outside. A little display window offered me a quick glance of what was inside. There was a mannequin standing near the window, modeling a gorgeous red dress. I sighed and rolled my eyes. How could I possibly be surprised?

_A clothing store_, I thought. _Of course_.

When May successfully shoved me into the little shop, I surveyed the insides. It was just like any other fashion boutique, although it had a somewhat rustic feel to it. The flooring was paneled in a dark brown wood, possibly oak. The walls were a grayish blue, and standing against them were mirrors and shelves full of clothes. There were clothing racks here and there in the store, but they all seemed pretty neat and well-organized to me. There were only about three or four other people in the store, not including the employees, so the environment seemed quiet but friendly.

"Come with me to look at the dresses, Misty!" urged May, tugging at my arm. "I really need a nice dress before I head back home!"

"Okay…" I moaned, irritated by May's constant hauling and pulling of my arm. "Just make it quick, alright?"

"That depends on your definition of quick," May pointed out, winking at me playfully. "It'll be fun! Plus, we still have a lot of time left on our hands, so stop worrying."

_Well, I can't stop worrying until I see my friend who happens to be a ghost. Ash Ketchum! I swear, when I find you…_

When we reached the racks of dresses, May finally let go of me and started sifting through the apparel. The clothing didn't strike my interest, so I just leaned against the wall and waited for the brunette to drag me out of there. Deep down somewhere in my heart, I was actually the slightest bit eager to visit the Pokémon merchandise store that actually happened to be next door to this dull clothing outlet.

In less than a few seconds, May rushed over to me, five different dresses piled a mile high in her arms. "Hey Misty, can I have your opinion on all these dresses?"

I took a quick glance at the frocks, but I didn't pay any attention whatsoever on the patterns, colors, or basically anything about them. "They all look pretty."

May gave me a sour look, along with an irritated sigh. "You really don't want to be looking at clothes, do you?"

"I really—" I began, but I was interrupted by an unfamiliar, masculine voice.

"May, is that really you?" he inquired. I turned my head to face him, wondering who my rescuer might be. It felt strange to admit this, especially at that point in time, but the boy was strangely attractive; any girl could easily fall for him. His complexion was just as dark and flawless as May's, and his hair was a jet black, a white hat covering his dark locks. His eyes were an unusual shade of crimson red, but, surprisingly, he was able to pull off the look.

"May, do you know him?" I asked, eyeing them both precariously. But she ignored me.

"Brendan?" she gasped. "What are you doing in Kanto?"

A smirk spread across his unblemished face. "You sound like you're unhappy to see me." May let out a sigh of amusement.

"May, do you know him?" I tried again, hoping my persistence would award me with a much desired answer from the captivated brunette.

"Yeah…" she mumbled, still awestruck by Brendan's sudden appearance." Brendan and I are childhood friends, although he grew up in Littleroot Town. He's Professor Birch's son."

"Precisely," acknowledged Brendan. He cocked his head towards me. "And you must be Misty, right? May told me about you. You're the former Gym Leader of Cerulean City?"

I nodded. "Yeah… You're one of the only ones to get that right. Everyone else thinks that I still run the Gym. I mean, I loved being Gym Leader, but ever since—" I couldn't form the words on my lips, the sudden heartache of the memory preventing me from going any further.

_Ever since Ash's disappearance_.

Fortunately, neither Brendan nor May paid attention to my complete loss of words. "Misty, you can go ahead to that other store that Delia suggested," said May. "It's been a while since I've seen Brendan, and I really want to do some catching up. Do you mind?"

"Not one bit," I responded eagerly.

Honestly, I was glad that May was ushering me away from her. Shopping for clothes made me sick, and heading to a store full of Pokémon merchandise at least sounded comforting to me. Almost like a safe haven of sorts. It seemed like there was obviously some chemistry going on between those two, Brendan and May, so it would've been wise for me to leave them alone anyways. But that's not the only other reason…

I needed to look for Ash.

I mean, I knew that I hadn't seen him at all, but I had a hunch that he was somewhere nearby. Don't ask me why, but my gut feeling kept telling me. He was nearby, maybe even in front of me, but I just didn't bother to notice him.

I walked out of the clothing boutique and inhaled the fresh outdoor air as I stepped back onto the brick road. Town square was still crowded like it was when May and I had first gotten there. A flock of Pidgey flew right above me, and I could smell the scent of delicious pretzels being made not so far from here.

It only took me a second to spot the last store that Delia had mentioned. It was right next door to the clothing boutique, after all. The Pokémon shop had a contemporary design, the walls made entirely of glass much like the Xanadu Nursery, although the store only looked to be about one story high. In the front of the building was a revolving glass door. If I were still a little kid, it would probably be addicting to spin around and around in that door, but I was in my teens, so it probably wasn't the best idea.

I was already pretty much insane; no need to prove it to the world. Besides, I'm supposed to be a sophisticated young adult now. At least, my sisters like to point that out. On the top of the store was a sign that read The Pokémon Shopping Mall. But to tell the truth, it didn't look much like a mall to me.

Nonetheless, I took a step towards the "mall," but I almost tripped as I realized who was floating right in front of my eyes.

I blinked, wondering if I was just seeing things. Nope. It was really him. Ash Ketchum.

I gasped at the sight of the raven-haired ghost, half of me relieved that I found Ash, the other half angry that Ash hadn't appeared much, much earlier.

"Ash Ketchum, where were you?!" I hissed through gritted teeth. "Why weren't you at the house when May woke me up this morning? And why weren't you… here, at all?"

"I was always there, Mist," Ash pointed out, not bothering to greet me. Then again, I hadn't greeted him in such a friendly manner, so it seemed pretty fair to me.

"What do you mean?!" I retorted. "I didn't see you at all!" I took a look around, and luckily, no one was paying any attention to my conversation with the guy that only I could see. Hopefully no one would give me weird looks or think that I was delusional.

"You just never noticed me," he stated, a smirk spreading on his lips. "I know everything that happened today. I heard your conversation with May about shopping. I heard Florinda and Potter announce that they would get married. I even saw May meeting… what's his name? Oh yeah, Brendan. And I bet you're heading over to that Pokémon store that Mom told you about, right?" He tilted his head towards the glass building.

I got even angrier, and even slightly baffled. _How in Arceus's name does he know all this_? I thought. But I didn't let that question escape my mouth. A quarrel with a ghost that only I could see just didn't seem right to me. I sighed and said, "Whatever… I'm just glad you're safe and all."

Ash eyed me curiously. "So you're worried about my safety? I have to admit, Mist, I think that's a first."

"What is it?" I asked bitterly. "Do you want me _not_ to care about your safety? Well, that's fine with me. I wouldn't even mind it if you got run over by a truck."

"You know, ghosts can't even _be_ run over by trucks. Or get hurt, for that matter," Ash uttered in a low voice, but I decided not to answer him. After all, I didn't want to look like some sort of psycho who talked to herself. Which was pretty hard to do, considering I already felt like one anyway.

I trudged toward the store with Ash drifting behind me. When I entered, I was completely awestruck by the range of items the store had.

The shop was filled with rows and rows of Pokémon merchandise. It had so many things: basic necessities like Pokémon food and Poké Balls to sophisticated goods like Pokéblocks, Ball Capsules, Ultra Balls, and even Pokégears (I was almost tempted to buy one of these, but the price tag completely horrified me, so I decided to stick with my current pink one, despite the fact that it was one of the old versions). The tile floor was sparkly clean under my feet. To my right was the cashier desk, a blond woman in a light blue uniform and ponytail standing behind the register.

My instincts led me to a section of the store that carried Water-type Pokémon-related items. Behind me, I heard Ash mutter, "Of course she'd come here," but I didn't bother to reply. Being surrounded by a Pokémon environment relaxed me quite a bit.

_It's like a Pokémon haven, except there's no actual Pokémon_, I thought as I browsed through all the goods.

As I picked up a can of Pokémon food specifically for Water-type Pokémon, I heard footsteps somewhere near me. At first, I ignored them, thinking that it was just another random customer browsing around the store. I was proven wrong when I heard the person mention my name.

"Hey Misty," greeted a familiar voice. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

After setting the can of Pokémon food down, I turned my head to see who it was.

To my surprise, it was none other than the grandson of Professor Oak: Gary.

"Yeah, it sure has," I answered. I took a quick glance over at Ash, who had a very sour expression on his face. I'd known for a long time that having Gary around wasn't too convenient for Ash, but to tell the truth, I didn't think that he was that bad. A little arrogant maybe, but then again, so was Ash. "What are you doing here, Gary?"

"Eh… nothing of _real_ importance to me," he responded. "Gramps just wants me to get some Pokémon food to feed some of Ashy Boy's Pokémon, but I really don't see the point of doing that since no one actually knows where that kid is."

I bit my lip, Gary's remark somewhat offending me, but I tried to disguise my anguish. Ash was clenching his fists, probably getting ready to punch him. It would've been pointless though, since he was a ghost.

"Did he actually say that there's no point in feeding my Pokémon?!" Ash growled, his nose twitching. He obviously couldn't handle this. I wanted to comfort him somehow, but saying some soothing words at the moment would do nothing but arouse Gary's suspicions and further confirm my insanity.

"So how's the Gym going over at Cerulean?" Gary asked, tossing a Poké Ball in his hand and leaning against one of the shelves in an aloof manner. He ran his fingers through his spiky auburn hair. The way he did it would make so many girls go crazy for him. Honestly, I felt my heart skip a beat… Or was it my own imagination?

"Well… My sisters took over again," I spoke. "I'm… not the Gym Leader anymore…"

"Oh…" murmured Gary, nodding his head empathetically." I understand."

Ash just shook his head and said, "I don't like how this is going… Misty, can't we just leave right now?"

And at the exact same time, Gary glanced over at me and asked, "Hey Misty, do you have anything planned tonight?"

"Nope," I responded to both Ash and Gary. "Why?"

"Because I wanna get away from this jerk," stated Ash grumpily. He crossed his arms and let out a "Hmph."

"I was wondering if you wanna spend some time with me tonight," answered Gary as he picked up a can of Pokémon food in one swift and graceful motion.

I didn't pay any attention to Ash. I was too bewildered by Gary's proposal. "…Are you asking me out on a date?"

A smirk appeared on Gary's face. "Precisely. You caught on to that pretty easily. Not like Ash." Ash gave Gary a bitter face, but, of course, Gary didn't notice it at all. He couldn't. "I'll see you tonight then. Meet me in front of the lab." He strutted away, hands in his pockets.

As he was walking out, I saw a crowd of fangirls rushing over to meet him. Gary seemed so proud to have all this attention from so many girls. They all seemed like normal teenagers to me, but one certain girl stood out from the rest. She was about my height, and pretty pale, with entrancing green eyes and long, mink brown hair, covered by a little white cap. She sported a light blue tank top and matching red miniskirt, blue socks, red and white sneakers, and had a yellow bag slung over her right shoulder. I noticed that she was the only girl in the crowd who wasn't jumping up and down, shrieking Gary's name.

She just stood there, her hands on her hips, staring blankly at Gary. I saw Gary catch her eyes, and then they both quickly looked away from each other. As Gary walked away from the store, all those girls followed him, including her.

_I wonder who that girl is…_

"Misty, why did you just agree to go on a date with _him_?!" demanded Ash. "I didn't think you were _that _stupid!"

"He's not as bad as you think he is…" I muttered under my breath. Luckily, Ash didn't hear me.

I stood there for some time, staring at Gary as his figure kept getting smaller by each step. Not soon after, a brunette with gravity-defying hair that stuck out on both sides came rushing into the store. I couldn't believe that it actually took me a minute to realize that the sapphire-eyed girl was May.

"Misty, Misty!" she panted as she ran toward me. Her hands went to her knees as she heaved a sigh of relief. After a few more deep breaths, she rose to face me and clasped her hands together. "Brendan asked me out, and I said yes!"

A grin spread across my face. I just knew that there was something going on between those two. "Really? Just like that?"

May nodded eagerly. "Yep! We talked a lot about our journeys and filled each other in about what's going on with our lives, and right before he left, he did it! And I said yes! I'm so glad he did… I mean, how could you not resist him? He actually gives Drew a run for his money!"

"Well, you aren't the only to find a date…" I mumbled, biting my bottom lip. May skipped around happily for a while, but then she finally absorbed what I had said. She stopped and stared at me, her eyes filled with astonishment.

"Wait… Someone asked _you_ on a date?" she asked.

_Uh-oh, here come the questions_. Ash smirked, giving me an I-told-you-so look and sticking his tongue out, along with a roll of his eyes and a teasing wink.

She then delved full force into interrogation mode. "Who was it? Is he cute? Where is he taking you? Is he famous?"

May bombarded me with a load of questions, but I just shrugged them all off. With a forced chuckle, I said, "May, calm down. Yeah, I know that this is my first date, but so? What's the big deal? Yeah, I know that it was Gary who asked me out, but—"

"_Gary Oak asked you out_?!" shrieked May, her voice climbing octaves till it reached the most annoying, high-pitched squeal I'd ever heard in my life. "Oh my Arceus! Gary is, like, the cutest guy ever! Misty, do you know how lucky you are?! You just got asked out by _the_ Gary Oak! Ooh… You are so lucky that I decided to buy you a dress of your own!"

"Okay, yeah, I guess he's kind of—" I paused, letting what May had just said sink in to my head. "May, did you just say that you bought me a _dress_?!" My anger was bubbling up, and I was already ready to let my rage out at the brunette. I would've started scolding her, but May snatched my wrist and literally started dragging me as fast as she could out of the store.

"Misty, we _have_ to head back to Delia's and get ready!" suggested May. "This is gonna be your first actual date, and I have some advice that you're really gonna need. And we really need to do something about your hair, and maybe put on some makeup! And… and…"

She continued to blab on about her plans of what she would do to us to make sure we were ready for our dates (her date with Brendan was also later that night). I put up a mental barrier between May and me, attempting to block out everything she was saying. I didn't think she cared whether I was listening or not. My thoughts were only focused on one certain person.

I turned around to find the ghost of my best friend, but he wasn't there.

Ash Ketchum had already dematerialized before I could've said goodbye to him.

* * *

**A/N: *gasps* Gary asked Misty out on a date?! I wonder what that's about… And what's up between Gary and that mysterious girl? And who is that mysterious girl? So many mysteries… Anyways, I hope you guys didn't mind the EgoShipping and HoennShipping in this chapter.**

**Reviews are much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3: A Date with Destiny

**Chapter 3: A Date with Destiny**

**Top five reasons why I HATE going on dates:**

**5. Dressing up is **_**not**_** my forte, and I don't plan on making it either.**

**4. Running out of things to talk about isn't going to turn me on very much, especially if all the guy likes to rant about anyways is sports and other girls. Total strikeout for me!**

**3. Two words. Icky. Self-absorbed. Boys. Okay, that was three, but you get the point!**

**2. The food is normally cheap and horrible (unless it's a rich kid, then it's just too extravagant for one night).**

And last, but not least, my final reason for hating dates:

**1. Now my dead best friend gets to go with me on every single one. As if he wasn't a total pain in the neck when he was still alive!**

"You're seriously gonna go out with that jerk?! Come on, Mist! I know you better than that!" Ash exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Ah, ah, ah, no peeking, Ash! Delia seriously needs to get the lock fixed on this bathroom door!" Too bad that wouldn't stop his phantasmal self from popping in uninvited.

"Relax, Mist. I'm not looking. I'm too busy trying to wrap my head around what you willingly just said yes to! I mean, Gary's a total—"

"Ash, do you really want to go there? I don't think so. Now get out, before I call May on you!"

"And what can she do? It's not like she can _see_ me to kick me out. She'll just think you're crazy," he retorted, smirking at me playfully.

"Ash!"

"Fine, I'm going, I'm going," he finally conceded, walking through the bathroom door.

"You know, there are such things as doors. Just because you're a ghost doesn't mean you shouldn't use them! Common courtesy," I told him, pulling off my signature yellow top and blue overall shorts.

"Well, I've never been the most courteous of people, Mist, and you should be able to remember _that_," he answered, undoubtedly rolling his eyes at me.

"True," I admitted, "but that was before you became a ghost. People change, even after they die."

"Hey, no one ever said I was dead, Mist."

"Madame Zettl did," I replied, slipping my flowing green dress over my head and reaching for the back zipper. But it was stuck. I sighed. Where was May at a time like this?

_Oh yeah, she had to go borrow Delia's makeup, _I remembered, shaking my head. "Just my luck. Ash! Come here!"

"But I thought you wanted me to—"

"Ash! Just come on!" I insisted. "My zipper is stuck, and I can't pull it up!"

Ash groaned in response. "You sure you can't get it?" he asked, wondering just how far down my zipper was stuck, I bet.

"Ash! It's only halfway down my back! You're not gonna see anything; I promise," I commented dryly. "I wouldn't ask you to do it if I thought you would. Why do you think I kicked you out before?"

Ash thought for a moment, finally answering, "Alright, but you owe me for this." He slipped back into the bathroom, and looked like he was going to die from shock when I turned to face him. "Beautiful," he breathed. At least, I thought that was what he said.

We stayed like this for a moment, my emerald orbs locking onto his ghostly yet chocolate-brown ones. It was pretty awkward during that period of time (for me, at least), and although I was quite flustered by his abrupt stop, I still managed to speak up and catch him off guard. "Ash! Are you just gonna stand there like an idiot or come over and zip this dress up?!"

Ash shook his head, strolling over to me in quick, weightless strides. "Sheesh, just calm down a sec. It's not like we're trying to _impress_ the jerk or anything. Now hold still." He grasped the zipper between his fingers and tried to wriggle it loose.

"Well _you_ aren't, but _somebody's _trying to," I muttered. I cocked my head just a little so I was able to look behind me. "Have you gotten it yet?"

"Almost," he said. I clucked my tongue impatiently. _Ziiiiip._ "There. You happy?"

I slipped away from Ash. "Very."

"I've got the makeup, Misty!" May called to me from somewhere down the hallway.

"Best make myself scarce. Catch you later, Mist," Ash said, nodding his head toward me.

"You t—" But before I could finish, he'd already disappeared. I sighed. Maybe he would stay gone for the rest of the night. I was freaking out enough without any of his sardonic remarks or implacable criticism about my date. I mean, sure, Gary could be a total jerk, but… he'd changed.

And part of me wanted to get to know the new Gary. The one who wasn't totally hung up on his popularity with the opposite sex, and the one who, despite earlier misconceptions, genuinely seemed to understand the grief of losing my best friend. My best friend's body anyway.

"You ready, Misty?" May exclaimed, barging through the bathroom door, makeup bag in hand. She looked up at me, a grin spreading across her face and a look of amazement in her clear sapphire eyes. "Oh my gosh, Misty! You look _amazing_!" she squealed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I just knew that was the perfect dress when I saw it! It's so you! Perfect shade and size and…just everything!"

"Hehe… Thanks, I guess," I answered, twining my hands behind my back and tugging at my dress nervously.

"And you're about to look even prettier once I'm done with you!" She set the makeup bag down on the sink and unzipped it, quickly sifting through it to find Delia's base. "You're a bit lighter than Delia, but this'll do," she said, popping off the top and dabbing it all over my face. Next came the powder, which almost succeeded in giving me a sneeze attack when she accidentally blew some into my face.

"Jeez, May, you could be a bit—Achoo!—more careful. I know I—Achoo!—don't wear makeup a lot, but I know you're not supposed to—Achoo!—blow powder up my nose!"

"Sit still, Misty, or I'll never get done!" she ordered, patting my nose one last time before grabbing the eyeliner. _Poke._

"Ouch!" I exclaimed, my hands shooting up to my face to rub my hurt eye. "That was my _eye_!"

May giggled airily. "That's why you don't move, Misty. Now, the sooner you quit fidgeting the sooner we can get this done. And it'll be a lot less painful," she added dryly. "Now close your eyes." I sighed, reluctantly shutting my eyes and waiting for the pain to come back. Luckily, it never did.

"How much longer is this going to take?" I grumbled, crossing my arms.

"All you need now is eyeshadow, blush, mascara, and lipstick, so not too long," May answered, picking up the mascara bottle and shaking it one good time before opening it.

"I swear if you even _think_ about touching my eyeball with that thing—"

"Relax, Misty," May reassured. "Mascara's always easier to put on than eyeliner. Now, look straight at me, and don't blink."

I did as I was told and heaved a sigh of relief when May finally pulled away and put the mascara back in Delia's bag, trading it for the blush and eyeshadow. Both were much easier to put on than everything else had been. The eyeshadow matched my dress, and the blush was just a few shades lighter than May's own attire for the evening, a little red spaghetti strap number with matching flats and a purse.

Finally, she pulled out a tube of lipstick the color of strawberry wine. My eyes widened and I quietly gasped at the sight. Good thing May didn't hear that. "I _know_ that isn't Delia's, May. You are _not_ about to make me wear such a gaudy—"

"This is for me, silly! Yours is at least a few shades darker," she cut me off, pulling out a much deeper shade of red and twisting the top off. "Pucker up, Misty!"

I groaned. She certainly had a way of wording things.

After applying what she thought to be enough, I turned to look in the mirror. "Whoa," I breathed, and I'm pretty sure I heard it echo.

"What did she do to you, Mist?" I heard a familiar voice whisper. I shrugged my shoulders, unsure of how to answer without arousing May's suspicions. "Well, whatever she did, it looks pretty decent. You look at least half as ugly as you did," he answered, smirking at me.

Gosh, I wanted to smack him so hard.

So I stomped on his foot instead. "Ouch!" he yelped, grabbing his foot. "What in Arceus's name was that for?!"

"Well _someone_ shouldn't have called me ugly," I replied, unaware that May was listening.

Ash glared at me disdainfully. "But I didn't call you ugly, Misty. I said you looked amazing! What are you talking about?"

_Whoops._ "N-nothing," I stuttered. "Uh, shouldn't we get going?"

"Yeah, as soon as Brendan gets here," May told me, fishing through Delia's makeup for some powder to touch her face up with. She'd most apparently forgotten my latest _faux pas._ Either that or she'd just decided not to press the subject any further. "He should be pulling up any minute now." And no sooner had she said that did the doorbell ring. _Ding._

"He's here!" May exclaimed. "Oh my gosh! And I'm not done yet! How is my makeup? Is my hair okay?! Tell me my dress isn't all bunched up in the back!"

"May, calm down," I said, placing my hands on her shoulders in an attempt to placate her nerves. "You look fine." At those words, her head snapped up and her nose crinkled in disgust.

"Just _fine?" _

"Yeah. I-I mean, no May; don't take it the wrong way! Jeez, quit freaking out on me! You look beautiful! Is that better?" I sighed. May could be such a drama queen sometimes.

May nodded. "I guess it'll have to do. Now, let's get going!" she replied in a sing-song voice, tossing the compact back into Delia's makeup bag and zipping it up. "Can't keep Brendan waiting!"

_Wait. I'm forgetting something._ I glanced around the bathroom, but couldn't seem to figure it out.

"Looking for something?" May asked, a confused expression on her face.

"W-what? N-no, not at all." _Where did Ash go?_

_Ding. Ding._

"Well, come on then! He's not gonna wait all day!" she exclaimed, grabbing my arm and pulling me out the bathroom door. "Coming, Brendan!"

After nearly ripping my arm off from dragging me through the Ketchum household, we finally made it to the door. May quickly dropped my arm and proceeded to unlock it for the raven-haired boy. "Wow," she breathed, scrutinizing the outfit Brendan had chosen for the evening. It wasn't a tux, but it certainly seemed to meet May's standards.

He was sporting a white button up shirt with cuffs and black slacks, along with a pair of matching dress shoes. He wasn't wearing his hat, instead slicking his hair back in a nonchalant fashion, and wasn't carrying his backpack with him like he normally would. "Wow yourself," he replied, winking. "Both of you look beautiful, if I do say so myself."

"Eh, thanks, I guess," I muttered. May was too busy gawking up at him and giggling to give an intelligible reply. "Uh, shouldn't we get going? Gary's probably waiting on us." I waved my hand in front of May's face in an attempt to break her trance.

Luckily, it worked. "Oh, yeah. We probably should. Shotgun!" she exclaimed, winking over at me and taking Brendan's proffered hand in hers. I sighed and followed the two to where Brendan had parked.

His car was pretty nice, a two-door red convertible Mustang with (barely) four leather seats and a short carbon fiber spoiler on the back. It also had two black stripes running down the center of the hood. He opened the door and adjusted the front seat so I could squeeze into the back seat. _Great, squeezing._ _Me, the claustrophobe with a flaming temper, stuffed in the back seat with an egotistical pervert._

I sighed. _Remember, Misty, he's not the same jerk he used to be._ I hated having to remind myself of that. I crawled into the car, careful to keep my dress from showing anything, and buckled my seat belt while he adjusted the front seat to May's liking.

After he'd fixed it, May got in and waited for him to get to the other side and crank the car. Before long, we were heading in the direction of Professor Oak's lab, which wasn't more than three or four minutes from the Ketchums' house to begin with. "So you're seriously gonna follow through with this?" I turned in the direction of that voice, the voice I'd recognize every time I heard it, and had to bite my lip to keep from snapping back at him.

"Well, a girl like me generally keeps her word, Ash. What else would you expect me to do?" I asked, carefully lowering my voice so May wouldn't hear me. She was too busy chattering away with Brendan to notice anyway.

"I dunno, call it off? Stand him up? Randomly get sick with some unnamed disease so you'd conveniently be unable to make it? Do you _want_ me to keep going with this?" he retorted, narrowing his eyes in my direction.

"I think I've got the picture, Ash. What does it matter to you anyway? Just because he's your ex-rival doesn't mean he's still the same jerk he used to be. And that isn't a good enough reason for it to bug you this badly."

"Sure he is! I know what he's like, Mist! I grew up with him! And that's as good a reason as any," he grumbled, crossing his arms and letting out a huff of exasperation.

"No, it's not," I pointed out, wagging my finger in his direction. "There's gotta be more to it. I'm sure of it."

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," he replied grumpily, disappearing before I even had time to deliver a snappy comeback.

"We're here, Misty. I'll let you out on my side this time," Brendan told me, parking the car and stepping out to adjust his seat.

"Uh, thanks," I muttered, climbing out as lithely as I could while still managing to hold my dress down. "Be back in a minute, you guys." I glanced around the lab, wondering where I might find my date for the night. He hadn't exactly given a specific time, so I went for six, since that's when the moon would start to come out.

"Sure took you long enough, Red," I heard an all too familiar voice say from behind me as I set foot on the ground. I swerved to face him, letting out a grunt of disapproval at the nickname he'd given me almost six years ago. "I said tonight. The sun set at _least_ thirty minutes ago." He smirked.

My heart got caught in my throat. He looked very… nice, actually. His auburn hair, unkempt as ever, was tousled slightly by the wind, and his eyes shone even darker in the moonlight. He was wearing an outfit much similar to Brendan's, though he was also sporting a matching blazer, and his collar was unbuttoned just enough to see the outline of his chest…

"Uh, well…" I could hear my heart clattering against my ribcage and the blood rushing to my face. _Why did I agree to this?_ I shook it off. No way was I letting him into my head this easily. "Says the jerk who forgot to give me a time," I retorted, smirking back.

"Well, looks like you're stuck with this jerk, Red," he replied, winking. "For tonight, anyway. Who all's with you?"

"Oh, May and Brendan," I responded. "May was asked out earlier today and decided to make it a double date." The disappointed look on his face told me he didn't favor the change of plans very much. "I hope you don't mind," I added, taking his hand and walking toward the vehicle.

"No... Not at all," he answered stoically, letting go of my hand and gesturing for me to climb in. "Ladies first." Again with the wink.

_I bet I'll be getting a lot of those before the night is over._ Then I couldn't help but find myself thinking, _How are all three of us going to fit in the back seat?_ I laughed, realizing how crazy I just sounded. It wasn't like Gary could feel Ash, even if I could. I slid into the back behind May and Gary climbed in shortly after.

As soon as the door was shut and seat belts were buckled (at Brendan's insistence, much to Gary's dismay), Brendan drove off, heading toward Viridian City.

"So, Brendan?" May asked, loud enough to break any conversation I might've been having with Gary. Which I wasn't. "Any plans for what we'll be doing tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking we could go out to ea—"

And at that moment, Brendan drove by a huge billboard with clashing, neon colors and a tall, black-haired woman who was in a pose. It only showed her mug shot, but I caught a glimpse of her black locks and blue eyes. From what I saw, her clothing consisted of a V-neck tank top that was both light yellow and dodger blue in color. A set of headphones, red on one side and blue on the other, covered her ears and a puffy, yellow jacket that was waist high.

"Oh. My. Arceus," May squeaked, stressing each word, her voice cracking at the last one. "No way! Did you see that billboard, Misty?! Elesa's fashion show's tonight!"

I facepalmed and let out a sigh. I knew all too well where this was going. May wouldn't pass up food for much of anything, but I think she'd make an exception to a certain supermodel Gym Leader. "Brendan? Could we _please_ go to the fashion show? We don't have to stay for the entire thing! Just thirty minutes? Misty?" she begged, pleading softly at Brendan with her puppy dog eyes.

"As long as it's fine with Gary and Misty," Brendan replied, glancing over at her.

I smirked, letting out a sigh of reluctance. "I'm up for it, I guess. Just don't expect me to stay awake through it all," I mumbled. "What about you, Gary?"

"I'm game. But afterward, could we make a stop by the center of town? There's supposed to be a dance tonight. That's where I'd planned on taking you to begin with," he told me, smiling mischievously. Somehow I doubted he planned on just _dancing._

Brendan nodded. "Fashion show it is, then."

"_Yay_!" May squealed. "I can't _wait_ to see Elesa!"

"Jeez, May," I muttered. "You talk as if you've met her before."

"Because she has, Misty." I'd know that voice from anywhere. _Ash? Where are you?_ I glanced around, but couldn't find a face to put with his voice.

"Duh, Misty. It's because I have," she answered. "Remember?"

"She trained in Unova for a while and challenged Elesa to a gym battle, just so she could say she'd battled such a _famous_ supermodel," Ash pointed out, undoubtedly rolling his eyes at me. "You'd know this if you'd listen to her every once in a while. I know she's annoying, but"—I kicked forward, hoping that was where he was hiding—"Yow! Mist, I wasn't even… How did you..? That was my _leg!"_

He then materialized right in front of me. Er, most of him anyway. Part of him was still inside May's seat. "Gee, if I'd only aimed a little higher," I mumbled, chuckling lightly.

"You say something, Misty?" Gary piped up. Apparently he had overheard my end of the conversation with Ash.

I shook my head. "'Course not." I then focused my attention back on the brunette. "Yeah, I remember, May. How could I forget?"

"Just checking. Ooh, I wonder if Skyla will be there! I bet you'd love to meet her, Misty!" she exclaimed, her pitch becoming dangerously higher with every word.

"Yeah, sure I would…" I grumbled to myself. _Who's that?_

"Skyla is the Gym Leader of Mistralton City's Gym, Mist. Again, if you'd listen"—I gave him a look that said _watch it, Ash_—"Anyways, she's also one of Elesa's best friends. But I can't say you'd love to meet her…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, to which I received three very odd glances in my direction and an almost transparent tongue being stuck out at me.

"You okay, Misty? You've been talking to yourself an awful lot lately," May commented, turning to face me with a concerned expression.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I quickly lied. "Honest. Guess I just…" _What? Enjoy talking to my dead—no, MIA—best friend? _"Miss Ash is all." _Perfect cover-up_. Or so I thought.

"Aw, it's okay, Misty!" May exclaimed. "We all miss Ash, right guys?"

"Tch. Well, I'll admit it's not as _fun_ without Ashy Boy around," Gary admitted.

"So Gary _does_ have a heart!" Ash exclaimed sarcastically, making me chuckle at the thought.

Brendan gave me a sympathetic look through his rearview mirror. "I never met this Ash person you're talking about, but I'm sure he was an amazing guy. Was he your boyfriend, Misty?"

I could've sworn my jaw had come unhinged when I heard _that_ one. "No wa—"

"He wasn't, but everyone just _knew_ they were gonna end up together someday!" May interrupted, her eyes shining brightly in excitement.

I heaved a sigh of relief. "It's times like these I'm glad he's gone. At least it means he doesn't have to endure our friends' relentless matchmaking of us."

"Says the girl who can still see me," Ash added, winking. I grunted in reply. "So Little Miss Misty actually misses me?"

"Dream on," I muttered, glaring back at him. Three more confused looks. Gosh, I really needed to learn to shut up.

"Oh come on, Misty," May teased, also letting out a playful giggle. "_Everyone_ knows you had a crush on the guy. Following him around Kanto _and_ Johto over a _bike?_ I don't think so."

"I-It's the truth though, May," I stuttered. My face was probably turning red as a Magby's forehead.

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault Pikachu fried your bike in the process of saving _our_ lives from a bunch of angry Spearow," Ash pointed out.

"That isn't the point, Ash!" I exclaimed. "That _bike_ was the last thing my mom ever got me before she died!" _Whoops._

"Gee, Misty, don't be so overdramatic about it. Sheesh, I should never have brought it up," May said, sighing. Apparently she hadn't caught me screaming Ash's name. I couldn't say the same for Gary. Or Brendan.

But Brendan was being smart enough to stay out of it and instead attempted to make light conversation with May again. He glanced back at me understandingly, and I mouthed a "thank-you" in his direction. "What's the deal, Misty? She was just teasin', and then you go off on her _and_ call her Ash. Something ain't right."

_If only you knew._ "I'm sorry… I don't know what's gotten into me. I just… I dunno." Thankfully, Gary dropped the conversation, leaving me to my own thoughts (as well as Ash's sarcastic remarks) for the rest of the ride to Viridian.

* * *

"Well, looks like this is it," Brendan stated, finally breaking the monotonous silence that had enveloped the tiny sports car. I looked up, wondering where the fashion show was actually being held. To my surprise, it was at Viridian City's Gym. The odd-shaped building hadn't been my first guess, but it kind of made sense, being one of Viridian's newest and most spacious constructions. Swarms of paparazzi and gawking fans were already making their way inside, and I could tell the Gym was filling up pretty quickly.

May clasped her hands in excitement. "Let's go, you guys! We _have_ to get good seats or it's not even worth it!" May exclaimed, jumping out and attempting to adjust her seat so that I could climb out behind her. Epic fail.

"Here, just come out on my side," Brendan offered as Gary stepped out and offered a hand in my direction.

"Thanks," I mumbled, knowing at that point he probably regretted having asked me out in the first place. "May, I—"

"It's okay, Misty. If it'd been anybody else, I would've gotten mad, but it's you. You were his best friend. I can't get mad at you for missing him. Even if you did yell in my ear," she interrupted, rubbing at said ear.

"I shouldn't have screamed like that though, heartbroken or not," I reasoned, trying to sound modest.

May waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Now come on!" she exclaimed, grabbing Brendan's arm and dragging him toward the entrance. Gary and I, more or less, followed the two, an awkward air between us that I couldn't quite explain. And it wasn't just because of my screw up in the car.

I could feel his hand closing tighter around mine as we pushed our way through the throngs of people, and I couldn't help but notice how warm it felt. _Unlike Ash's,_ I thought, frowning. I felt my face flush in embarrassment, and for once was thankful for the darkness around us. Sooner or later, we'd managed to make it inside, but May and Brendan were nowhere to be seen. I glanced around, noticing how much the Gym had changed, just for the fashion show Elesa was holding.

It was almost pitch black aside from the lights projecting from the mirror-like catwalk (built exclusively for Elesa's show, no doubt), and there was an elaborate amount of decorations placed around the room, along with three JumboTrons to catch each model that came out at every angle possible. Pretty extravagant to be built for only one night, if you ask me. I sighed. "Well, at least it's only thirty minutes," I told him, attempting to break the awkward tension between us.

"Yeah…" he trailed off, turning to face me, an expression I couldn't put a name to plastered on his face. He furrowed his brows, took a deep breath, and said, "Misty, could I ask you something?"

_What does he want? _My eyes widened as my mind began jumping to conclusions. _Maybe he's asking me to be his girlfriend? But no way; not when the first date isn't even over yet! And he already thinks I'm insane…_

"I'm sure it isn't what you think," he chuckled, finding amusement at my flustered expression.

"Well, I guess…" I answered. "What do you want to know?"

"Y'see, there's this girl, and, well, I… How do I put this?" He ran his fingers through his spiky auburn hair before continuing. "Gah, I probably sound so stupid now."

_You're telling me,_ I thought, giving him a confused look. _Girl? Who's he talking about?_ Before I could press him to keep going, however, the announcer interrupted us, followed by a squeal from in front of me that I knew came from none other than Miss May Maple herself.

"Thank you for joining us, folks. Welcome to our semi-annual Spring Fashion Show! I am your host, Lilian Meridian, and tonight you're in for a wonderful treat! We'll kick it off by introducng Elesa Tric, Unova's number one supermodel and the owner of this fantastic show!"

"Fabulous, Lilian. This show will be certain to put a 'spring' in your step," Elesa replied, stepping onto the stage and standing beside the host. Apparently Elesa was a fan of puns. She then crossed over to center stage, flaunting her latest outfit to the entire population of Viridian. She was sporting a yellow and blue knee-length, halter dress with white leggings and three-inch lightning bolt stilettos, along with a matching denim half-jacket. Her hair was in her signature black braids and she still had on her red, white, and blue headphones.

She made her way down the catwalk, posing for pictures as much as she deemed necessary along the way, and once she'd reached the very end, another model came out, wearing yet another "electrifying" design. _Heh, bet Elesa would appreciate _that_ pun,_ I thought, watching as model after model made their way down the catwalk, showing off the latest designs in fashion. I almost had to bite my tongue on a few of them, ones too bizarre to even belong on a person, such as the dress literally created to look like a lightning bolt. Or the pink one that puffed out like Jigglypuff's cheeks whenever she got angry at us.

"And this, my friend, is the fashion of today," I commented, letting out a snort of amusement. "Where's May? I swear, it's been at _least_ thirty minutes by now, if not more."

"Actually, it's not even been ten, Misty," Gary replied, rolling his eyes and smirking over at me. "But we could go find her, if you want. It'll probably take twenty minutes to do that anyway."

"You don't have to ask me twice," I mumbled. Taking his hand in mine, I started pushing toward the front, where I knew May would most likely be. To my surprise, however, she was still nowhere to be seen. _Where did she go?_

"Hmm… Maybe she went backstage?" Gary suggested, gesturing toward the steps peeking out from behind the black curtains cutting off the stage from the ever-growing crowd.

"Possibly," I answered, pushing past person after person until we'd finally reached where he'd been pointing. I pulled back the curtain and took a glance around before deciding whether to go in or not. That's when I spotted May (and Brendan), chatting away with none other than the supermodel Miss Elesa herself.

"May! How did you end up back here?" I shouted, stomping towards her. I was pretty sure that Gary was following my lead, except not as aggressively.

"Didn't you see, Misty?" May giggled for what seemed like the umpteeth time that day. "Elesa wanted me to come back here before she walked off the stage. She'd spotted me in the crowd." _How does Elesa remember May so well?_ Well, the gravity-defying hair kind of made her hard to forget… Not to mention her crazy Munchlax appetite. "The question is, how did _you_ get here?"

"Well, Gary thought you might be back here and all, so we came to find you…" I trailed off, scuffing my foot against the hardwood floor. "By the way, can we go now?"

"Misty, it hasn't even been thirty minutes yet!" May exclaimed, letting out a huff of annoyance and crossing her arms defiantly.

"I know, but it's _so_ boring, May! Even that dance would be better than watching a bunch of models flaunt figures and outfits we could never have anyway," I complained. "No offense to you, Elesa."

"Of course not. Misty, right?" she asked, to which I gave a nod in reply. "You're the Gym Leader in Cerulean, right?"

I shook my head. "_Ex-_Gym Leader. My sisters took back over after… after a friend of mine disappeared." At least I'd finally brought myself to actually say it.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that," she answered, frowning.

"May, did you drag these people here against their will?" I heard a voice ask from the other side of the room. I turned to find a redhead who looked like she had a propeller in her hair.

"Skyla!" May exclaimed, running over to give the girl a hug. "I just _knew_ you'd be here!"

_So this is the girl she wanted me to meet… _I thought, remembering the mention of her during the drive.

She didn't look very extraordinary (aside from her odd choice in hair accessories), and was sporting a little blue outfit with intricate straps all over it. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, May dear!" Skyla exclaimed, winking at her. "It's Elesa's debut in Kanto, after all."

May seemed to know the two pretty well for just having met them once. Either that or I was going crazy (and I wouldn't put that past me, at this point.) "Mist, she's known Skyla for years," Ash suddenly mentioned out of nowhere. "Some of Skyla's family lives in Petalburg, and she goes to visit them sometimes, when the Gym isn't as busy."

_Geez, you sure know a lot for a dead guy,_ I thought sarcastically, almost chancing to say it aloud. But I didn't think that would go over too well with everyone else. Instead, I gritted my teeth and mumbled under my breath, "Just go away."

Ash shrugged his shoulders. "If you insist, _Red,_" he replied, winking at me before disappearing for the night. At least, I hoped that was how long he'd be gone.

"Ooh, could I get a picture with you guys before we go?" May asked, pulling out a red and white Poké Ball camera she'd gotten for Christmas last year.

_Finally._

"Brendan, would you be a Deerling and take the picture? Misty, get over here! You're in it too!" she exclaimed, impatiently waving me over toward the three. Gary dropped my hand and gestured for me to go on.

I sighed. _If it's not one thing, it's another…_

I made my way over to May and posed beside her in the picture. When it was over, I let out something akin to a grunt of displeasure and a sigh of relief. "Finally! We can go now?" I asked, glancing over at the gravity-defying brunette.

"I guess so," she relented, frowning. "It was nice seeing you two again. Good luck on the rest of the tour, Elesa!"

"Thank you, May," Elesa answered, pivoting toward me. "Hopefully you and I will have the chance to battle someday. I can tell it would be one 'electrifying' match!"

That remark took me completely off guard. "Uh…okay," I stammered. "Nice to meet you, Elesa. You too, Skyla."

"Bye everyone!" Skyla exclaimed, waving as we turned to go.

* * *

"Next stop, Viridian City Square," Brendan commented as we pushed through the clusters of people to get to the exit.

We soon reached the car and went through our usual routine, Gary and I climbing into the back while Brendan and May took the front. After buckling our seat belts and Brendan cranking the car, we began to make our way toward the square.

"_Finally,"_ Gary and I breathed in unison. I glanced over at him, my face growing warmer with every inch closer he got. I almost thought he would kiss me. But he didn't, instead turning away and explaining to Brendan the fastest way to get to the center of town.

"Once you pull out of here, make a left and about two miles down, make another. Trust me; it's almost impossible to get lost from here to the square," he chuckled, smiling softly.

Brendan nodded. "Shouldn't be much longer then."

"You were really about to kiss the jerk? Mist, that's low, even for you," Ash commented dryly, appearing right in between the very minimal space Gary and I had left of our own. Well, he still _had_ his. I glared over at Ash, trying to convey my best _shut up_ look without arousing any suspicion. It was bad enough that they already thought I belonged in the next loony bin on the way out of town.

"What are you staring at, Misty?" Gary asked. "You look kind of mad."

"No, no, not at all," I answered, turning to stare out the window.

Then his face appeared in the glass. "Mist, you and I both know that's a lie. And you know it's bad to lie," Ash told me, sticking his tongue out.

"Go. Away. Now," I demanded through gritted teeth, hoping no one would hear me. Luckily, no one did. Either that or they just got tired of asking about it. Knowing May as well as I do, probably the former. As for Gary and Brendan, most likely the latter. I clearly didn't care, either way.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Fine, but if he even _tries_ to make another move on you, I swear that I'm coming back to life just so I can kill him," he muttered, dematerializing in an instant.

_He sure is protective,_ I sighed, glancing over at an either extremely amused or hopelessly bored Gary Oak.

"We're here," Brendan said, putting the car in park and pulling the keys out of the ignition.

"Ooh, look at all the dancers!" May squealed. "It almost looks like one of those royal balls!"

"Glad you like it, May," Gary murmured, glancing over at me. "What do you think, Misty?" I shrugged my shoulders. Truthfully, I loved it. Such a sweet and creative idea for a first date. Viridian City Square looked like any other park, but it had obviously been decorated to fit the occasion. Red banners hung from the lampposts around the perimeter of the area. There were many couples dancing to the music, although I had no idea where the music was coming from. On one side, there was a table laden with pizza, club sandwiches, hors d'oeuvres, and various other foods that I was sure May would immediately dig in to. But like I'd tell _him_ that with Ash popping up every two seconds to scold me.

"It's… nice," I told him, stepping out of the car onto the cobblestone pavement.

"Yeah, if you're a girly girl like May," Ash commented. "Which you're not."

_Just shut up and go the heck away!_ I screamed in my head. It wasn't like he could hear me, but maybe he'd get the picture if my thoughts were loud enough. _How do you know I don't like to dance?!_ I glared over at him.

Ash shrugged his shoulders, once again dematerializing before I could say a word. That was probably for the best.

"Ready?" Gary asked, taking his right hand in mine. "You know how to waltz, right?" I nodded. One of the very few things my father taught me. He encircled his left arm around my waist, and I rested mine on his shoulder as we started to dance.

_One-two-three-one-two-three,_ I thought, going over the steps in my head. I looked up to find his dark eyes staring down at me, a solemn expression on his face. "You okay?" I asked, turning away slightly. It felt weird to look straight into his eyes for more than a few seconds.

Gary raised his eyebrows. "Me? I'm fine, Mist." _–y_, I added in my head. It sounded so strange to hear Ash's nickname for me through Gary's voice. We turned a few more times, and as I looked around, I noticed we were getting farther and farther away from the rest of the dancers, including Brendan and May.

_What's going on? He—_

"Actually," he started, interrupting my train of thought, "I've been meaning to tell you something."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Yeah?"

He halted in his footsteps and steadied me so I wouldn't fall. "Well, how do I put this?" he wondered, his eyes tracing the background behind me so he wouldn't have to make eye contact.

"Just spit it out, Gary," I said. "It can't be that bad. Is it what you were trying to tell me at the fashion show?"

Gary slowly nodded, bringing his eyes to face me. "Please don't be mad, Misty. This is the only way I could get you alone long enough to talk. I hadn't planned on having two tagalongs on our date. See, there's this girl…" He took a long, shaky breath before he continued. "Her name is Leaf."

I nodded, trying to remain calm and collected, but I couldn't help but feel a small pang of anger from somewhere inside me. "What about her? Do you like her or something?" I snapped, pulling away and crossing my arms.

"I do, but… but that's the problem." He took another shaky breath. "I need your help to get us together."

* * *

**A/N: *gasps* Another cliffy, courtesy of yours truly! (PrincessVictory) ;) *takes bow* Anyway, thanks for bearing with me. I know I took _forever_ to upload this chapter, and Sis is probably just as tired of waiting as you guys are, but hopefully how long and good it is will make up for it! :) What do you think Misty's reaction to the news will be? Stay tuned if you wanna find out!;D**


	4. Chapter 4: Secret Unveiled

**Chapter 4: Secret Unveiled**

**Top five reasons why I HATE surprises:**

**5. I **_**hate **_**that feeling of anxiety I get. It makes me feel so weird and uneasy.**

**4. Surprises are usually secrets, and when it's a secret that involves me in some negative way, that just makes it all the more worse. **

**3. I don't like to be left out of something huge and extravagant because I always get a feeling that people hate me. Don't ask me why, but I do. **

**2. Especially when Gary Oak is the one surprising you, since he always has tricks up his sleeves. What else would you expect from a player like him?**

And to top it off, the last reason why I hate surprises:

**1. I get to experience all these **_**wonderful **_**surprises with my dead best friend, who'll be my reminder for all these embarrassing moments I took part in.**

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. How could he be such a jerk? How could he just use me like this?

"I told you that you shouldn't have agreed to do this in the first place, Mist," Ash quipped with a smirk etched on his face as he suddenly materialized in front of me. He shook his head playfully and wagged a finger at me.

His actions made me scowl at him. I muttered to him under my breath in the lowest voice possible so that it was audible to Ash, but not to Gary. "Get away, Ash. I don't want you to be here."

"If you say so." And just as quickly as he had appeared, he vanished into thin air.

I directed my attention back to Gary with a grimace. I couldn't let him get away with it, after all. "You…" I started angrily, trying to keep my cool yet show the brunet the rage that was quickly enveloping me.

Gary sighed as he ran his hand through his spiky auburn hair. "I'm sorry, Misty. I really mean it. But–"

"Don't you apologize to me!" I interrupted, furrowing my eyebrows and scrunching my nose at the same time. I didn't want to let my fury out, but it seemed like I wasn't as good at controlling it as most other people were. "This is all your fault! Think, Gary. Think! Do you really think I'm gonna help you if you decide to be such a jerk?!"

He bit his bottom lip nervously before replying, "…No."

"Then why did you even bother to try?!" I snapped, pacing back and forth with my arms crossed like a military general. "You could've just come up to me and asked for help instead of making me go through all this, you know."

"I actually did think of doing that, but I thought that you'd think I was crazy or something and you wouldn't agree to help me," Gary admitted.

I stopped in my tracks to scrutinize his face. "You really don't know me at all, don't you?" I muttered.

"I guess not." He shrugged nonchalantly like this wasn't such a big deal. Just that simple action made me feel even more ticked off. He was acting like nothing too serious was unfolding in front of him, yet I narrowed my eyes at him to try and convey the message that he was in big trouble. It didn't seem to intimidate him in the least, though.

A moment of awkward silence engulfed the two of us as we stood there in Viridian City Square, face to face, as I continued to eye him menacingly. All he did was eye me back, except his face was blank and expressionless. Anger was still boiling inside of me and it was longing to seep out and attack Gary, but I held my ground. I couldn't let myself look like I was becoming mental or something, considering that people might have already thought I was. But it wasn't my fault that I was the only person who could see Ash, right?

Instead, I used that awkward moment to contemplate over things. First of all, who was this Leaf girl? Was she someone Gary knew? Was she one of his fangirls? If so, why would he need my help? He definitely wouldn't need any help whatsoever to get with a girl who was head-over-heels for him. And why _my _help? I was pretty sure that Professor Oak would be glad to assist his grandson with whatever, whether it had any correlation with Pokémon or not, and the brunet probably had friends who would be willing to help him out as well.

Nothing was adding up. There was something he wasn't telling me, and he didn't seem keen to elaborate on it. All the clues and evidence didn't fit together; it was like a bunch of scrambled puzzle pieces, but no matter what you try or how hard you try, every possible solution wouldn't work. I had so many questions, yet absolutely no answers.

It was in that moment that I subconsciously raised my arm and slapped Gary across the face.

"Ow!" shrieked Gary as his hand reached up to soothe his cheek and make sure it was okay. "Misty, what in Arceus's name was that for?"

"For being a jerk," I immediately retorted.

But I wasn't sure if that was a total lie or the complete truth. The thought still bugged me… There had to be a reason for this. Sure, he had just proven to me that he was a total jerk, but I knew that Gary wasn't _that _much of an idiot. My brain hurt as I pondered over the possible reasons why once again. It wasn't a painful thought, but it certainly was annoying. Terribly annoying.

I took a look around. It seemed like everyone had paid no attention to what I had done to Gary, all of their faces completely unfazed. None of the decorations had been changed in any sort of way, but the sights that I had once thought were romantic and tranquil were suddenly dull and tepid. The lights in the lampposts, the moon, and the twinkling stars all seemed to have dimmed a little, like they were all mourning for something, but that was all probably just my own imagination.

I was caught off guard when a certain brunette grabbed my arm. I didn't even have to take a good look at her to realize who she was.

"What's up, May?" I asked, trying to strike a conversation. Well, it kind of worked, but the subject that she brought up was one I really didn't want to think about, much less talk about.

"Misty, did you actually just slap Gary?" she asked. "What was that about?"

Brendan approached the scene and wrapped his arm around May's sides. Trying to get my attention off the subject at hand, I decided to take a good look at the ensemble she was wearing, since I didn't pay much attention to it beforehand. The strapless, red A-line short dress made May look like she was in high school, dressing up for the upcoming dance, but she still looked dazzling in it, nonetheless. The ruched tulle mesh that made up the bodice kept her appearance versatile, yet the sweetheart neckline and the empire waist still gave her a sort of cute vibe all at the same time. Silver eyeshadow was brushed over her eyelids and rimmed her lashlines, which added a touch of fineness to her, and the mascara that she wore made her lashes seem slightly longer than usual. A red mini purse with glitter that decorated it hung from her elbow, and to top it off, a pair of simple red flats were worn, probably so all the attention would go to the focal point of the outfit: her dress.

After I had a good feel for May's appearance, I observed my own. The green chiffon one shoulder mermaid dress that the brunette had picked out for me was adorned with pleated wrapped sequin detail that spiraled from my shoulder until it reached the very bottom of the skirt of my dress. The sequins glinted with a soft brightness due to the moonlight pouring down and bouncing off of them. The peep toe pumps I wore were silver in color and the glitter on the pumps caused light to shimmer in different directions from them, and although they caused my heels to ache like crazy, I had to admit that they contrasted very well with the dress I had on. On top of that, the loop earrings with color and glitter that matched the pumps had the same effect as the latter did. My makeup was done in a similar fashion as May's had been done, except the lipstick I had applied was a lighter shade than the brunette's. My fiery red hair was tied into a tight bun that rested on the top of my head, and the overall ensemble gave me an absolutely elegant appearance.

My eyes were about to drift back to May's ensemble to take another pointless yet long look at it, anything I could do to stall from answering her question, but I was abruptly cut off from doing said action when the brunette's voice rose with irritation due to the lack of an answer from me. "Misty, I asked you a question and I still need an answer," she sternly demanded, placing the palms of her hands on her hips to add to the intimidating effect, although it didn't cause me to be perturbed at all.

I immediately shook my head, refusing to answer. "It's not something I wanna talk about… right now." As I said that, I shot a scowl in Gary's direction, but he didn't seem to be affected too much by the nasty glare and instead looked like he hadn't noticed it in the first place. But I was completely positive that he did. I tried to suppress a grin as I faced May again, but it felt forced, and I was pretty sure she could see right through it. "How about I tell you when we get home?"

"Okay then," May agreed, seeming satisfied by the quick decision. "Let's leave in about an hour so–"

"No," I interrupted, waving my hand to make sure she wouldn't continue to blab. "We're leaving now. Right, Gary?" This time, I didn't bother to make eye contact with him.

"…Right," he ascertained, running a hand through his hair yet again that night. "Why don't you get the car ready, Brendan?"

"Sounds good, I guess," he said before he made his way back to his Mustang to rev up the automobile's engine. The perplexed expression on his face clearly told me that he had no idea what had been going on, which was how May probably felt like at the moment as well.

As we trudged away from Viridian City Square, I distanced myself from May and Brendan just a little bit, but not too much that the two would begin to suspect anything. Gary seemed to do the same, which was exactly what I had expected him to do. I was about to say something, but the brunet beat me to it. "You still gotta help get me and Leafy together, you know," he reminded as an annoying smirk made its way onto his lips and winked in my direction.

I groaned and lightly shoved him. I should've attempted to tackle him to make sure that I'd done some physical pain which would definitely leave a lasting impression on him, though. "In your dreams," I muttered.

All he did was chuckle lightheartedly.

* * *

There was only one word I could use to describe the drive back to Pallet Town: awkward.

The four of us sat in the same seats we had been in during the drive to Viridian City. I was reluctant to be sitting in the back again next to Gary, considering what had occurred between the two of us just minutes ago, but it wasn't like I had a choice. After all, it was the kind thing to do by letting May and Brendan use the two front seats.

Building after building passed by as Brendan drove through Viridian City, and as we were getting closer to the short road that led back to Pallet Town, the buildings were soon out of sight and were replaced by tall trees and shrubbery. The sky outside was becoming a midnight blue, although it wasn't exactly midnight yet. All the night Pokémon replaced the usual daytime Pokémon, which were all asleep in their respective homes by then. Aside from the occasional hooting of a Hoothoot or a Noctowl, the night was eerily silent; it was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable. To add on to that, the memory of the short fight I'd had with Gary only furthered the uncomfortable feeling.

I propped an elbow onto the seat's leather armrest and rested my chin in the palm of my hand, my emerald eyes staring out the car window out of pure boredom. There was nothing interesting outside, but there was nothing to do. True, I could've started a conversation, but there was definite tension in the air and I couldn't find the confidence to do much of anything except remain in the position I was in and keep staring outside.

It seemed like a miracle to me that May was actually brave enough to ignore the uneasiness of the atmosphere and say something.

"So… how has everyone's day been?" she mumbled nervously, running her fingers through the skirt of her dress. It wasn't the best of conversation starters, but it was something, at least.

"Fine," the other three of us blandly responded in unison. Brendan, Gary, and I whipped our heads around to face each other for a moment. I wasn't sure why we did this, but I assumed that it was because of how ironic it was for us to answer at the same time. I could faintly make out a smile tugging at the lips of both guys, and I was pretty sure one was trying to make its way onto my face as well. That moment didn't last long, though, as we all turned around and faced different directions.

"Oh, c'mon, guys," teased May. "I know this hasn't been… the best of days, but why don't we just be honest with each other?"

"Okay then," I stated, crossing my arms as I began to speak. "This is _not _a fine day and I'm pretty sure the same can go for _him_." I jerked a thumb in the direction of the brunet, which he responded to with a smirk. It definitely wasn't the response I was hoping for, but I'd definitely expected it.

"_Misty_," whined Gary childishly as he pouted in mock annoyance. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"You should know," I muttered back at him.

"Oh, I do?" He quirked an eyebrow up and inched as close to me as his seatbelt would allow him. "I think I might've just had a case of amnesia, actually. Could you please remind me?"

"No, you dweeb."

Gary exaggeratedly gasped and placed a hand on his heart. "Misty, I know you don't think I'm a dweeb."

"Yes I do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"_Why don't you both just SHUT UP?!_" growled May, interrupting the quarrel between Gary and me. "You two are just so full of yourselves! Why can't you just focus on me for once?!" She sent a glare toward the back, obviously directing it toward the both of us. She even sent Brendan a nasty look.

For a moment, I was shocked. I was sure that Brendan and Gary felt the same way as well. This was definitely not like May to ask for so much attention. Sure, she occasionally had her flighty tendencies, but this was _not_ one of them. She was acting so completely different that it was extremely hard to comprehend the words that she had just spit out.

As if realization had hit her, the brunette's expression quickly shifted from one of anger to one of guilt. "Holy Arceus… What the heck did I just say? I didn't mean a single word! I swear! I don't even know where that came from!" Remorse was etched in her voice and her sapphire orbs were beginning to tear up.

I jumped to the conclusion that the truth had really come out of her mouth. "That's okay, May." I grinned at her warmly, and she beamed back. It wasn't one of her usually huge smiles, though. I could easily tell that she was still full of regret at what she had initially said.

I waited for Brendan and Gary to speak words of reassurance, or at least understanding, to the brunette, but they never came. I'd expected Brendan to do so, at least, considering that he and May were bonded together romantically. It would only be natural for him to do his best to comfort her and tell her that it was fine. But all he did was remain silent, stare at the road ahead of him, and continue driving.

My eyes darted to Gary. His brows were furrowed and his arms were crossed, and he seemed to be in a state of deep thought. I actually wanted him to say something, anything, just to interrupt the silence that May's sudden outburst had caused, but just like Brendan, he didn't say a word.

This just made me all the more confused. Why did May start acting so… different? And why were Gary and Brendan acting so differently as well? My anger toward the brunet remained, mingling somewhere inside of me, but confusion was also pouring in. Confusion because of everything that had happened following May's change in behavior.

Nothing was adding up. I was sure of that.

* * *

"Hey girls!" greeted Delia as I stormed into the Ketchum residence with May following behind me at a normal walking pace. Right when we had arrived at Pallet Town, Brendan had dropped off Gary at Professor Oak's lab and then proceeded to drop me and May off at Delia's place. I was so glad that Gary was out of sight, but I still couldn't help but still be enraged and flustered by what had happened that night. "How were the dates? I assume that you both had a good time?"

"Never had more fun in my life," I growled sarcastically in a low voice as I made my way into my guestroom and slammed the door behind me. I could picture Delia's baffled face at my unwelcoming entrance as I sat on my bed and stayed in a sitting position for some time, not knowing what to do.

"She's not in a good mood," I heard the sound of May's voice say. It was slightly muffled due to the closed door. "Something happened with Gary, but she won't tell me a thing."

"Maybe Misty needs some time alone then," Delia suggested. "Maybe she needs time to think things through by herself. Solitude is probably what she wants, so we might as well give it to her."

"But don't you think a friend would be able to comfort her and help her out and stuff?" May countered gently. "I mean, if she just keeps mulling over some fight she and Gary probably had, she won't get anywhere, right? I could help her. Or try, at least."

"Good point…" admitted Delia. At the same time, I tiptoed out of my room and crept into the narrow hallway which led to the living room, making sure to open the door slowly so that the sound of it creaking wouldn't be audible. I peeked into the living room to see May and Delia sitting side by side on the chocolate-colored microfiber plush sofa that faced the television. May was clutching one of the cheetah-printed pillows while the other one lay on a corner of the couch. A worried expression was plastered on both of their faces, although Delia's had a mix of one of contemplation as well; I assumed that she was thinking over May's offer. "It's worth a shot, but if she refuses to let you in, it would be best if you just let her be. We don't want Misty getting even more upset."

"It's fine, Delia," I piped in as I ambled into the living room with the most charming smile that I could muster. "Stop thinking that I'm, like, depressed or something." That sentence itself was enough to get May and Delia to giggle and the atmosphere around us to feel less heavy.

"Okay then, Misty," May said, patting the only space left on the couch next to her, signaling me to sit there. I obliged and then laid my clasped hands on my lap. "So why did you slap Gary?" the brunette questioned.

"Wait… you slapped Gary?" Delia asked incredulously, to which I answered with a nod. "Why?"

"I was just about to get to that," I giggled dryly. "Okay, so Gary and I were just dancing at Viridian City Square and Gary seemed to be dancing me away from the crowd until we were all alone and out of hearing range of anyone else. I didn't really pay much attention to it, but then he started talking. Basically, he said that the date was all just a setup and he was really using me so I could help get him together with this girl named Leaf." I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to continue. No one followed my explanation, so I said, "And when I found out all that, I was so mad that I couldn't help but slap him. And that's kind of how it went."

Silence passed. It wasn't an awkward silence that settled in, but one that was somehow comforting and… right.

Finally, May broke the ice, her voice rising with anger. "That jerk… How could he do something like that?!" She clenched her fists with fury.

"Beats me," I mumbled, undoing the bun in my hair because of how tight and irritating it was. It felt nice to let my red locks fall down and reach my shoulders, even though I preferred my hair in my signature side ponytail. "He's gotta have a reason to do it, though. I mean, why me? Couldn't he at least get someone else's help?"

"That's a good point, Misty," acknowledged Delia. "I know that Gary has to be planning something. I've watched him grow up since he was first born, and I'm certain that Samuel didn't raise the child to behave in such a manner. I agree that he is a bit of a flirt, but he's still a civilized man."

"When you say it like that, I think there's something up with him too," agreed May, stroking her chin in an exaggerated way, the brunette in deep thought. She then shook her head as she said, "Nah… Nothing's coming to me."

Nothing was coming to me either. And I was pretty sure nothing was coming to Delia. If Ash had been watching the conversation, he probably would have felt the same way. (Which you and I both know that he'd probably listened in on the entire conversation anyway.) That left me with one solution to my anxiousness.

I had to talk with Gary about this.

* * *

Waking up at the crack of dawn was definitely not any fun. It was fairly chillier than waking up at around nine in the morning, and I was still a bit sleepy. But if I really wanted to talk to Gary without arousing May or Delia's suspicions, it would be necessary for me to wake up at such an early time of day.

I changed out of my pajamas and threw on the first set of clothes I saw in my closet: a red-and-white V-neck tank top that luckily didn't show off anything trashy; a yellow vest hoodie that was fading with time; a pair of distressed denim short shorts that showed off my toned, athletic legs; and a pair of red Converse sneakers. I brushed my red locks so that the mess that sleep had created on them wouldn't be evident and I tied my hair into a side ponytail.

With each step I took that led to the front door of the house, I made sure that I was walking as quietly as I could so that no one in the house could stir from their sleep. Eventually, my hand wrapped around the doorknob, and I was about to turn it around so I could walk freely out of the house, but the sudden appearance of the ghostly figure of Ash materialized in front of me. I accidentally let out a frightened yelp, but it didn't seem like May or Delia had heard that. I sighed in relief before I narrowed my eyes at him and, softly yet harshly, hissed, "Ash Ketchum, don't you dare scare me like that ever again!"

He burst into pure hysterics. Although I knew that I was the only person who could hear his laughter, I still wanted to get out my mallet and whack him as hard as I could. But then I remembered that it would've been pointless; Ash was a ghost, so the weapon would have only went through his body and he wouldn't experience any sort of physical pain. "You should see the look on your face, Mist!" he howled. "You were, like, _so _scared!"

I wished that Ash wasn't a phantom of sorts so then I really could hurt him. He was being _such_ a pain in the neck. "Just shut up, okay?! I gotta go find Gary!" I finally opened the door, walked out, and quickly closed it behind me, but I knew that Ash had passed right through it and was following me. Of course he would.

"You know, you'd probably be so much better off if you didn't go at all," Ash pointed out. "Who knows what Gary's gonna say to you?"

I sighed. "Yolo, right?" I retorted bitterly, stopping in my tracks so I could face Ash and have a proper argument with him. "You only live once. So how could anything he'd say hurt me so badly? It couldn't be that bad, right?"

"Well, you never know," he sighed. "I just… wanna make sure you're okay, Misty. You're really the only person I've got, you know."

I raised an eyebrow in mocking disbelief. "You wanna make sure I'm okay? Wow, Ash. Looks like you actually care about me, huh?" I couldn't help but let the smirk that was tugging at the corner of my lips show on my face.

"As a friend, yeah," he grunted. I could barely make out a light shade of pink on his cheeks, but I wasn't completely sure. After all, he was just a ghost.

Ash tilted his head up slightly. "Hey, looks like you don't need to go looking for him. He just found you." And with that, he disappeared and was completely out of sight.

I turned around to face Gary, who was approaching the front door of the Ketchum residence. He stopped abruptly as his gaze found mine, and he mustered a smile before taking the last few steps in my direction. "Hey, Misty. I wanted to come here to apologize to you. That was all my fault. I really shouldn't have done something so stupid like that. I wouldn't be surprised if you think I'm a total jerk now." He forced out a chuckle as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. Besides that, he was also sporting a simple outfit consisting of a purple polo shirt and black tennis shoes, which seemed to either have been recently cleaned or recently bought.

"Yeah, I do," I admitted jokingly, yet there was a hint of seriousness in my voice. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"I know," he sighed with exasperation. "Misty, I'm just… so sorry for all that, but I'm still wondering if you're willing to help get me and Leaf together."

"You know, I have no idea who this Leaf girl is," I pointed out, a puzzled expression obvious on my face. "And you know that there's no way I can get you two together if I can't even so much as tell you the color of her hair."

"Good point." He chuckled yet again before continuing. "You see, Leaf is one of my childhood friends. We both grew up here in Pallet Town but we kinda separated during our journeys. When I decided to be a Pokémon researcher and I stayed around here, Leaf sorta started… hating me because she said I'm a totally different person now? I don't know. I guess she can't admit that I'm just that hot." A wide smirk crept onto his lips while I just rolled my eyes.

"Okay, but I still don't really have a good feel for her, you know," I said. "I mean, I can't just set you two up before I really get to know her."

"True…" He ran his hand through his spiky auburn hair. Suddenly, Gary put all his weight on one side of his body so he could cock his head to the side and look behind him. A small smile was etched on his lips as he said, "If you want, you could go talk to her right now. She's over there." He tilted his head to the side and I glanced in that direction. Sure enough, I saw a girl about my age with brown locks that almost reached the bottom of her back with a white cap that perched jauntily on her head.

In that moment, something clicked. I couldn't believe it took me more than a second to realize who she was.

Leaf was the same girl whom I had seen yesterday with all of Gary's fangirls.

Immediately, there was a sudden determination that coursed through me that desperately wanted to get Gary and Leaf together.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, Leaf's finally here! ^_^ So Gary and Misty had a fight and now Misty's gonna get him and Leaf together. I bet you're all excited to see how that'll turn out. I know I am, even though I know what'll happen. :)**

**By the way, I put the link to my Photobucket account on our profile page. I've got a **_**Finding My Way **_**album with pictures of the dresses Misty and May wore on their dates. Check it out if you want. :) **

**Hollylu: I just wanted to say that I'm not Sarah's (PrincessVictory) sis. :P My name's Sissy, but Sarah just calls me Sis.**

**So anyways, review, review, review! :D**

**- videogamenerd101 **


	5. Chapter 5: The Perfect Plot

**A/N: Thanks for bearing with me, you guys. :P I now present Chapter 5 of Finding My Way, and I hope you enjoy!^.^ Sorry I took so long! Sissy's probably ready to strangle me. *sigh***

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Perfect Plot**

"Well, are you gonna introduce us or what?" I asked, glancing up at the obsidian-eyed teenager I was supposed to be helping.

"Oh, yeah. Leaf, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," he muttered, patting me on the back.

"Hey there," I said hesitantly, waving at the brunette who'd so easily stolen Gary's heart.

She was much shorter up close, I noted, and was sporting a white camisole with a black heart-shaped collar, a red knee-length skirt much like the one she'd worn the day before, white sneakers, and a little white cap slightly askew atop her head. The girl cocked an eyebrow in suspicion, wondering why on earth Gary had brought me over there. "Do I… know you from somewhere?" she asked, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear and eyeing me precariously. She seemed pretty angry, if not insulted, by the fact that Gary came over with me.

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Misty. You're… Leaf, right?" I wondered, letting my eyes meet hers for barely a second. Yeah, she was _definitely_ irritated.

Leaf snorted. "Yeah, did _Gare-bear_ tell you?" she remarked sardonically, rolling her eyes.

"You could say that." I desperately wished I could somehow break the awkward rift between the green-eyed girl and myself, but I just wasn't sure how. Considering I was already known as a friend of Gary's, I probably wasn't very high on Leaf's people-she-should-get-to-know list.

"So, did he pay you to come talk to me or something?" she wondered blankly, looking over at the auburn-haired player.

_Man, this girl _really_ doesn't like Gary,_ I thought, grinning slightly in amusement. _She's worse than I am toward Ash._

Gary feigned a wounded expression and brought a hand to his heart, clutching it like Leaf had just sunk a knife there. "Of course I didn't, Leafy! Now why on earth would I do something like that?"

Leaf sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Why on earth do you do half the things you do?"

"You're telling me," I muttered, recalling the date we'd had the night before and chuckling. "Apparently you're known for your idiocy around here."

Gary glanced over at me and smirked. "I prefer to call it ingenuity."

"Mhmm. Anyways, did he pay you or not? I can't expect Oak over here to give me an honest answer," Leaf grunted, jabbing a thumb in his direction and giving me a sympathetic half-smile.

My brows furrowed in confusion. "Not a dime. I'd asked who you were, since I hadn't seen you before, so he told me your name. But I decided to come over myself. He just came so he could introduce me." I hoped she couldn't see through such an awful lie.

"Sure you did, Mist. And I follow you around because I _enjoy_ taunting you with my ghostly presence," Ash commented dryly from behind, a smirk gracing his lips as he made a sudden appearance, something I'd been getting quite used to ever since his ghost had first begun to stalk me.

"Well, you do," I whispered quietly through clenched teeth, kicking backward and landing a hit directly on his kneecap.

"Ngh," he groaned, grabbing at his left knee and grimacing in pain. "Like I have much of a choice."

Leaf and Gary looked at me questioningly. "Am I missing something here?" the brunette wondered.

"No, n-nothing at all." _Man, I've really gotta stop doing that,_ I reminded myself yet again, sighing.

I could tell neither of them were convinced, but thankfully Gary brusquely interrupted with, "Anyway, I'm gonna head out. Gramps needs me at the lab, after all. Bye, Misty, and see you later, Green."

"Bye," I replied, waving as he walked away.

Leaf rolled her eyes, undoubtedly groaning at his nickname for her. "In your dreams, Oak." Luckily, Gary hadn't heard, or we'd probably have been there another hour while Gary pouted like a Lillipup.

By then I could tell she didn't like Gary very much at all. More than likely she even hated him, only making my job even harder. "So, is it just me, or do you _really_ not like Gary?" I wondered, chancing voicing my thoughts aloud.

"No, you're right. I _don't,"_ she replied acidly, frowning irritably in his direction.

"Then why were you at the store yesterday with all his fangirls?" She had to admit, I proved a pretty solid point. At least, I thought so.

Instead, she let out a huff of annoyance and massaged her temples thoroughly before saying, "Coincidence. I'd gone to get some Pokémon Food for Professor Oak and got caught in that stupid crowd of fangirls he has following him around."

_Professor Oak?_

"So you know the Professor?" I asked, still trying to piece everything together.

"Psh. Know the Professor? I work for him! I'm also one of the lab assistants there," she answered, flicking the hair out of her eyes that was stubbornly falling out of her cap due to the growing intensity of the morning breeze.

"Oh, I see. Well, why _don't_ you like Gary?" I inquired, frowning slightly.

"Easy. He's the biggest jerk-faced player to ever walk the Pokémon world, he chases after almost anything in a skirt, and he's a freakin' heartbreaker, for Arceus's sake! You'd be an idiot to like him," Leaf remarked bitterly. Something about the tone of her voice made me wonder if she knew all this from experience. Had he really broken this girl's heart before?

"Yeah, but he's never done anything to _you_, has he?" I retorted, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, he's a player, but he's always been one. And it's not like he's hurting you by chasing after all these other girls." I could've sworn she'd killed me by the death glare I was getting from her right then.

_Maybe it would be safer to be a ghost right now,_ I thought as I cleared my throat nervously. _How ironic._

"I mean, he isn't hurting you, is he?" I tried to ask.

Her face contorted from a look of anger to one of growing exasperation as she shook her head in reply. "I guess not. But he's still a jerk," countered Leaf, readjusting her cap till it was cocked slightly to the side on her head.

"Well, he can be, but he isn't really all that bad once you get to know him," I told her, to which she huffed in reply.

"Sure he isn't. And I can magically turn into a Magikarp at the push of a button," Ash remarked sarcastically from beside me. Gosh, I wanted to slap him so hard right then. But I didn't need Leaf to start thinking I belonged in a loony bin too, so I kept my cool.

"Mhmm. Anyways, I've gotta go. Things to do, places to be, you know. Nice to meet you, Misty. See you around town," she said, smiling somewhat and waving before turning to go.

"You too, Leaf. See you soon!" I exclaimed, waving in return as she strutted away. As soon as she was out of earshot, I turned to face Ash, giving him the nastiest look I could muster. "You idiot! Do you enjoy making me look like I'm borderline psychotic?!"

"Well, you have to admit, you do a pretty good job of that yourself," he commented dryly, smirking down at me.

"Ugh! Why do I even bother?! You're a ghost, for Arceus's sake! I shouldn't even be having this conversation with you!" I screamed angrily, turning to stomp away in the direction Gary had left in.

"Just face it, Mist. You _like_ the fact that you can see me when no one else can. It means you have me all to yourself," he pointed out conceitedly.

"What?!" I shrieked, jerking around to face him. "No way!"

"Besides, I could've told you this whole thing wouldn't have worked out anyway," he explained, sighing. "But Mr. Oblivious is too busy being oblivious to know anything."

"And how would you know, Ghost Boy?" I asked, raising an amused eyebrow in his direction. "Enlighten me. I'm curious as to how a dead teenage _boy_ would know anything about a situation like this."

"Well, easy. I know who Leaf really likes. And it isn't Gary," he answered, shaking his head.

"Oh, come on. Of course she likes Gary. Girls tend to like the people they act like they ha—" But I stopped myself before finishing that sentence, knowing he would twist it into something completely different and use it against me.

Apparently he hadn't caught on. "I guess that's true, like all those times you acted like you hated me and really didn't." Or so I'd thought, anyway. I glared at him to let him know he'd better make his point, and make it quick. "But can't a girl also like a guy without all the teasing and the fake hatred?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess so. So who else does she like?"

Ash smirked, as if finding what he was about to say extremely amusing. "I thought you'd never ask. She likes me, Misty."

I stared at him in disbelief. _Leaf likes _Ash_?_ _That doesn't make any sense!_

Of all the people in the Pokémon World Leaf could like, it'd obviously be Gary. True, they were always fighting every second they were near each other, but that just further proved my point. Girls like the guys they can't stand to be around. But Leaf liking Ash? I did _not_ expect to hear that.

"No way!" I exclaimed, popping him on the arm. "Don't lie to me like that! Who does she _really_ like?"

"Ouch, Mist. That one hurt. And not just physically either," he answered, jerking away and rubbing his sore arm. "I'm not lying, Mist. Trust me, I would if I could, but you'd just see right through me anyway." He laughed, realizing the pun he'd just mistakenly created.

"You can't be serious." I stared straight into his ghostly chocolate eyes, trying to find a hint of perjury in his words, but I couldn't. He really was telling the truth.

_No way. No freakin' way._

"Afraid so, Mist. She's even asked me out before," he remarked, watching my face flush slightly at the thought of him being asked out by _any_ girl, much less Leaf.

"Oh? And what did you tell her?" I asked, raising an eyebrow expectantly. Obviously he'd turned her down, or I would've heard about it before then.

"I… said there was someone else," he muttered, almost so quickly and quietly that I couldn't catch what he was saying.

I raised an eyebrow at him. _Someone else? Now I _know_ that's not right._

"So you lied to her?" I wondered, slapping him again on the opposite arm. "You don't lie to a girl like that!"

"Jeez, Mist! That's harsh! How do you know I was lying? For the love of Mew, I'm sixteen! I might still be oblivious, but I'm clearly not an innocent ten-year-old anymore," he commented, rubbing both arms simultaneously. "I do notice girls, you know. I'm not the idiot you make me out to be."

"Then who was it?" I demanded, glaring over at him. "If you didn't like Leaf, who _did_ you like?"

"For one, who says I don't still like her? And for two, why should you care? You almost sound _jealous,"_ he answered, smirking at me.

I rolled my eyes. "As if. Me? Jealous of some girl you got a crush on? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard of." Even Ash's Pikachu could've told me how hollow those words sounded. Luckily, Ash was quite a bit more oblivious than his partner Pokémon, whose whereabouts, now that I had thought about it, were still unknown.

_Must be wherever Ash is,_ I thought, referring to his body and wherever it'd ended up.

Ash gave me a blank look. "Really? I've heard crazier. But okay then, if you're not gonna admit to it, then I guess I can't tell you," he retorted, sticking his tongue out at me.

"Fine then! I didn't wanna know anyway!" I exclaimed, turning away from him.

"Of course you didn't," he muttered, undoubtedly rolling his eyes at me.

After a few minutes of standing there, wordlessly watching the Pidgey streak across the sky heading nowhere in particular, I finally found the courage to ask, "Is she pretty?"

"Who?" he replied dumbly, apparently having forgotten what we were talking about.

"The girl you like, you idiot!" I screamed, swerving to face him and raising a threatening hand in the air.

"Oh, her. I thought you didn't want to know," he teased, winking at me.

"I said I didn't wanna know who it was. I never said anything about not wanting to know your opinion of her," I countered dryly. "So, is she pretty or not?"

"Well, she's pretty stubborn, if you ask me," Ash remarked playfully.

I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean, Ash Ketchum."

Ash sighed. "Yeah, she's pretty, Misty. You happy?"

I shook my head. "What does she look like?"

"If I told you that it'd give it away," answered Ash, facepalming.

"So I know her then!" I exclaimed.

_Wait, I know her then…_ Suddenly, I didn't really like the idea of him liking someone I knew. Or liking someone in general, really. It almost felt like something had snapped inside of me, but I didn't dwell on it too long. Ash still had some explaining to do.

"Jeez, Mist, jump to conclusions. And since when did all this become about me? I thought we were helping Gary and Leaf get together," he said, scratching his forehead.

"Ash, since when do you show even a remote interest in the opposite gender?" I asked rhetorically, staring blankly at him. "So, if I know her, it's got to be one of the girls you've traveled with over the years, right?"

Ash reluctantly sighed. "You're not gonna give up, so I might as well let you guess. But you'll _never_ figure it out, Mist."

"Sure I will. Let's see, is it May?"

Ash shook his head. "Why in Arceus's name would it be May? She's got Drew—I mean, it's so obvious; he gives her roses, for Arceus's sake—and pretty much any other guy in the entire Pokémon world wrapped around her little finger. Plus, lately, she hasn't exactly been the sweetest person in the world. Try again."

"So, if you're looking for sweet, then it's gotta be Dawn, right?"

Again, Ash shook his head. "And I can already tell you it isn't Iris. Dawn's a bit too much like my little sister, and Iris still treats me like a little kid, which I'm clearly not," he pointed out blithely.

"But there isn't anyone else!" I exclaimed, growing frustrated by his little guessing game.

_Who could it be?!_

"Sure there is; you just aren't thinking hard enough," he answered, tapping his forehead in amusement.

"Ash! There really isn't! Iris came after Dawn who came after May who came after… me? Oh no, you're kidding me, right?" I glared at the ghost boy who seemed to be turning pinker with every passing second.

"I never said she traveled with me, Mist. Now you're just jumping to conclusions again," he quipped, a little too quickly for my taste. He was definitely avoiding a straight answer on that one.

"Then don't let me keep assuming stuff like that! _Who_ is it?" I demanded, my teeth clenched together in growing agitation. "How can I name off every girl we've ever met?!"

"I'll give you a hint: she's stubborn as a Tauros with the temper of a Magmar," he told me, holding a finger in the air and smirking tauntingly.

"Well, that narrows it down to about half of the female population of the Pokémon world," I pointed out, staring at him blankly. Then I thought of a certain ocarina player that flirted with him incessantly back when he was still ten and oblivious. Could it possibly be…? "Don't tell me it's Melody." I glowered at him impatiently. This guessing game was beginning to get on my last nerve.

"Eh, like I'd even tell you if you got it right anyway," he answered, shrugging his shoulders and rolling his eyes.

"You mean I've been playing this game for nothing?! Ash Ketchum!" I screamed exasperatedly.

"Eh he, well, gotta run," he awkwardly replied, dodging my question. "Catch you later, Mist!"

"Ash!" But before I could say anything else, he dematerialized, leaving me to wonder if he'd actually been serious about the whole thing. He hadn't denied Melody like he had the rest, so I wasn't totally sure what to think.

_Does he really like Melody Hollis?_

* * *

"Misty, are you sure this will work?" Ash asked, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Finally decide to show back up, Ghost Boy? And wait, are you _doubting_ me?" I retorted, glaring over at him. "Of course it will. Jealousy _always_ works. I should know."

"What, has some girl made you jealous over a guy before?" Ash wondered sarcastically, a smirk on his translucent face.

_Melody, but like you really care, _I thought snidely, instead shrugging my shoulders in reply. "You could say that."

I took Mrs. Ketchum's house phone from its cradle and dialed the number for Dawn's Xtransceiver; she picked up within a few rings.

"Misty! Long time no see! How've you been?" the perky blunette asked, her crystal eyes shining with excitement.

"Wonderful," I replied, a hint of sarcasm in my voice as I smiled sardonically off-screen at the ghost boy beside me. "Almost feels like he never left." By "he," Dawn knew I was referring to Ash.

"Wow, I wish I could say the same," she answered, sighing heavily. "I miss him so much. It's like I lost my big brother. But I can't imagine what it must've felt like for you, since you've had such a big crush on hi—"

"Anyway, I was wondering, are you anywhere close to Pallet Town? I know you've been traveling through Kanto lately, and I needed to ask a favor of you," I interrupted, knowing if I hadn't, she would've ended up saying way more than she should've around the raven-haired phantom. _Big mouth,_ I thought indifferently, rolling my eyes.

"I was actually on my way to Viridian for the Wallace Cup, Misty!" Dawn exclaimed, beaming a smile at me. "It's not for another few days, and I'm already way ahead of schedule, so I can come to Pallet and hang out with you and May till then! May's gonna be in the Wallace Cup too, right?"

"You know it!" I heard the brunette reply from behind. I glanced back at her, noting her disheveled appearance. Her hair, while still gravity defying and in its usual bouncy state, was incredibly frizzy; her eyes were only half-open and looked incredibly tired, with light circles underneath them; and her frilly red pajamas were indubitably wrinkled from all the tossing and turning she'd done the previous night. I was almost kicked off the bed a few times she wiggled so much. She'd been doing that a lot the past few nights, and I was beginning to worry about her; every day she seemed even crankier and moodier than before, and I could tell she wasn't getting near enough sleep.

_What in the world is going on, May?_

"Great! Are Drew and Harley and Solidad competing too?" Dawn asked as May strode over to the videophone and scooted into my chair with me.

"Yeah, and so are Ursula, Zoey, Nando, and Kenny, right?" May replied, a yawn escaping her ferry-sized mouth as she rested her head against my shoulder.

"Of course! They wouldn't dream of missing such a special contest! I mean, Zoey, Nando, and Kenny wouldn't. Ursula and I don't really keep in touch," Dawn remarked, a look of disgust contorting her face as she reached Ursula's name. "Misty, are you gonna do it?"

"What? Why would _I_ enter a contest?" I asked, pointing at myself. "I'm a Gym Lea—I mean, ex-Gym Leader, not a Coordinator."

"Oh, come on," May whined in my ear. "Ash wasn't a Coordinator either, but he entered the Wallace Cup at Lake Valor!"

"Please, Misty? I'll do what you want me to if you'll do this," Dawn begged, smiling innocently at me.

_Cut a deal with me, why don't you?_ I sighed. "Fine, I'll do it. Just this once. But don't count on me doing it ever again!" I answered, earning a squeal of delight from Dawn and a huff of annoyance from May.

"Just because Ash can't follow his dreams anymore doesn't mean you should give up on yours," commented May, furrowing her brows at me.

_Where did that come from?_ I wondered, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"Who says I'm giving up on my dreams when I never had any to begin with?" I retorted coolly, crossing my arms in defiance.

"Sure you did, Mist. You dreamed of becoming the best Water Pokémon Master there ever was. Even Madame Zettl pointed that out. Don't you remember? Or have you forgotten it already?" Ash asked calmly, his voice slightly breaking toward the end.

"Misty, you and I both know you've got a dream; everyone does!" May exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. "Even that wacky fortuneteller knew you had one!"

"I know, I know. I get it! I just… I can't… I can't… Not without…" _Ash._

"Mist, if you really wanna give up, then I'm not gonna stop you. But please don't. Do it for me. Reach your dream since I could never reach mine," said the raven-haired teenager, wrapping his nearly transparent arms around my waist in as warm an embrace as a ghost could possibly give (which basically wasn't warm at all, since ghosts can't give off heat). "I believe in you."

I couldn't take it anymore. Just because I could still see Ash didn't mean I couldn't _miss_ him. Arceus, I missed him. I missed the _warm_ him, the _real_ him, the one who could chase the biggest, most impossible dreams and somehow make them reality. I burst into tears, something I hadn't done in front of Ash in years, and placed my hands on top of his, even though I knew May and Dawn couldn't see him and probably wondered what in Arceus's name I was doing.

"I miss you, Ash," I whispered, shutting my eyes and letting the tears fall freely down my face.

"I miss you too, Misty," he breathed into my ear (if ghosts even have breath?), and suddenly I felt another set of arms embracing me from the side. Warm, living arms too.

_May,_ I realized, opening my eyes to see a blur of brunette hair and a set of twinkling sapphire orbs overflowing with worry and tears of their own.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you, Misty. I know it's really hard to let go of Ash. He's one of the best teachers I ever had, and possibly my best friend in the entire Pokémon world, I guess I'm just… missing him too," she told me, pulling away long enough to give me a sympathetic frown. "I loved him so much. Maybe not as much as you did, but he did so much for me, Misty. If it wasn't for him, I'd never have made it through my first journey. I _hated_ Pokémon when I started out. I was only in it so I could get away from home and travel, but then he made me realize that Pokémon weren't all that bad. They could actually be some of the best friends and traveling companions anyone could ask for."

I glanced up, choking back the rest of the tears that kept trying to escape, and looked straight into May's crystal blue eyes. She really had no idea how much that meant to me at the moment. And apparently they'd had a similar effect on Ash, who let go of me long enough to gape at her in disbelief and barely enunciate the word, "Wow."

_Tell me about it,_ I thought, keeping my eyes focused on May's to avoid the temptation of offering a response to Ash's dumbfounded whisper.

"I had no idea I meant so much to you guys," he muttered, frowning. "Especially not May. I mean, I knew I meant a lot to you, or we probably wouldn't be in the crap we're in right now, but… I never realized that I was the reason she made it and went on to be a Top Coordinator."

_Some ego booster, right?_ I wanted so badly to say; instead, I pursed my lips in reply to Ash's comment. I smiled weakly at May and nodded, accepting the apology. "It's okay. I think it's safe to assume that everyone misses Ash, May. I know I do," I said, feeling something akin to guilt as I realized that she wasn't lucky enough to still see him like I was. I sighed, glancing back at the videophone screen to make sure Dawn was still on the other line. "You still there, Dee?"

She looked like she'd been crying too, but quickly brushed the tears away before May or Ash could notice, and nodded at me. "Yeah, I'm here. So, what did you want me to do anyway?"

I facepalmed. _Oh snap! I completely forgot about that!_ Ash rolled his eyes, realizing my mistake just as I had.

"Well, I kind of need you to do this for a friend, actually," I began, looking over at May and wondering what she would think once I got around to actually _asking_ the favor. "My friend needs help getting with this girl he's got this huge crush on, and I figure the best way to do that would be to make her jealous by bringing another girl into it. I think you and I can both agree you'd be _perfect_ for that job."

May raised a suspicious eyebrow at me. She knew _exactly_ which friend I was referring to. "You're still gonna follow through with it, even after your_ friend_ was such a jerk to you?" she asked, eyeing me warily.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm okay with it, May. I didn't really like him that way anyway. You know who I'd rather be with," I answered, turning back to face Dawn.

May snorted. Of course she knew. _Everyone _knew who I wanted to be with more than anything else in the entire Pokémon world. Well, except Ash, of course.

"So, can I count you in?" I asked, smiling wanly at the blunette.

"Uh, well, can I ask who this friend of yours is?" Dawn wondered, looking about as confused as my old Psyduck always did when it would randomly pop out of its Poké Ball during battle.

"Oh, you know him, Dawn," I told her, smirking. "Does Gary Oak ring a bell anywhere?"

"Ahhhh!" she squealed, forcing me to cut the receiver off speakerphone and pulling it even farther away from mine and May's ears. "_The_ Gary Oak! I'd love to, Misty! Why didn't you just say so in the first place! I can be there in an hour!"

"No, you can take your time, Daw—"

"Oh my gosh, I've got to get ready! I have so much to do; no idea what to wear! I've got to get going! See you guys sooner than you can say _Legendary!_"

"Dawn, I—" But it was no use.

_Click._

"Well, guess I should start getting ready too," May muttered, stretching her arms in the air and yawning once again before standing.

"But you aren't exactly doing anything," I pointed out, to which she sighed in reply.

"No, but someone's gotta keep an eye on Dawn and make sure she doesn't explode into a stadium-sized pile of confetti," she answered as I hung the phone back in its cradle and stood up across from her.

"She's right, you know," Ash agreed, smirking devilishly in my direction. "It'll be a wonder if she doesn't get here sooner than an hour after you told her who she'd be doing this for."

I sighed. "Now I need to go tell Gary so he won't be surprised when she randomly shows up at the lab asking him out on a date. See you in an hour, May. If she gets here before I do, try stalling her as long as you can."

May nodded. "You can count on it, Misty. Good luck."

"Thanks. I'm definitely gonna need it."

* * *

"You did _what_ now?" Gary asked, cocking an eyebrow haphazardly in my direction. "Mother of Mew, what were you thinking?!"

"I was _thinking_ Dawn could make Leaf jealous so you could make your move, Gary!" I exclaimed, my anger rising to a fever pitch as I glared at the auburn-haired teen. "You were the one that asked me to help in the first place."

"Yeah, _you._ Not you and that crazy blunette who thinks I'm some kind of extraordinary poet because she thinks Gramps is too," he said tautly, rolling his eyes.

"Well, excuse me for trying to help," I retorted bitterly. "Now, whether you like it or not, she's gonna be here in less than an hour, so you should probably make sure Leaf is here to see the whole thing. If she's not, it was all pointless to begin with."

Gary sighed. I could tell he didn't want to go along with my plan, but he also realized there wasn't much of a choice. "Leaf should be back here long before that perky blunette shows up. When she does, I'll send a message from my Xtransceiver to your PokéGear. That'll be Dawn's cue, okay?"

I nodded. At least he was going along with the plan, even if he didn't like it. No sooner had he said that did Leaf come into view from the bottom of the hill leading to Professor Oak's lab. Gary waved me away, giving me his signature wink and smirk combination before turning back toward the door to the lab. I chuckled lightly as I made my way back to Delia's, nodding in Leaf's direction as I passed her on the way down the hill.

She nodded back, a slightly confused expression on her face as she stopped and asked, "Misty? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I, uh, came to tell Gary that a friend of ours was going to be in town," I explained, opting for the truth, since she was going to meet our "friend" pretty soon anyway, whether she wanted to or not.

"Another one of his girlfriends, I'd imagine," Leaf remarked, using a slightly more derogatory term than _girlfriends._

"Dawn's _not_ his girlfriend, thank you," I pointed out. "She wishes she was, though."

"Sure she does," Leaf scoffed. "Every girl _dreams_ of being with that insensitive jerk."

"Now hold on a second," I piped up. "Obviously you don't, and I definitely don't. I won't _ever_ dream of being with Gary, especially when there's still a chance that I can be with the guy I want to be with."

"Ash, right?" Leaf muttered sardonically.

_Wait, how did she—?_

"Oh, come on, Misty. Don't be so surprised! It's so obvious. And if you don't think so, Ash sure talked about you enough for me to believe it. I mean, he's presumed dead, but it's not like they ever found a body or anything, right?" she asked, a glint of what sounded like hope in her voice. She seemed to want Ash back almost as much as I did.

"So you talked about me, eh?" I murmured, barely audible, but loud enough for him to hear if he was anywhere near me at the moment.

"Uh, n-no I didn't," I could hear Ghost Boy stammering in reply. "She's lying!"

I rolled my eyes, knowing right then whom I should believe. I decided I was going to question Ash about it later on that night. "It's really that obvious?" I asked, my cheeks flushing slightly as Leaf nodded in my direction.

"Just a bit. Anyways, I should head back to the lab. Nice seeing you again, Misty," she said, waving as she walked away.

"You too," I replied, strolling away in the opposite direction. Within ten minutes or so, I reached the Ketchum household and rapped at the door, only for it to be opened by none other than the blunette I'd been waiting to see.

"Misty! You made it back!" she exclaimed, embracing me before I could even get a foot through the threshold.

"Dawn, you're early," I pointed out, pulling away and glancing down at the outfit she'd picked out for the day. It was a light blue ensemble: a half-sleeved baby doll blouse with a scooping neckline; a knee-length puffy skirt with gold and lace embroidery along the hem; a pair of flats; a matching purse; and a set of gold jewelry adorning her neck, wrists, fingers, and ears. Her hair was teased into a high ponytail with her signature golden barrettes holding in place two lone ringlets.

"Well, I would've come sooner if my bike hadn't gotten stuck in the stupid mud on the way here," replied Dawn, grimacing at the ground as if it were the reason for all of her problems. "Anyways, where's Gary and that girl you were talking about?"

I sighed. Dawn always was one to get to the point. "He's supposed to message me on my Pokégear when he's ready for you."

_Bzzt-bzzt. _I pulled the buzzing device out of my pocket to see the message sent by none other than the auburn-haired boy himself.

"'Come on,' it says. Well, guess we'd better get going. I'll go over there with you. Wait, didn't May wanna come along?"

Dawn shook her head. "Brendan called and asked her out to the WildKat Café in Viridian. She told me to let you know so you wouldn't wait up."

"Oh, okay then. Ready to go?"

Dawn nodded. "I kinda wanna see what kind of girl this chick is anyway, stealing my Gare-Bear's heart like that," she said, taking me by the arm and making a run for Professor Oak's lab.

_I swear, this relationship is going to be the death of me,_ I thought as Dawn lithely navigated through the dirt roads leading to our destination. Despite not having visited Pallet in about a year, Dawn perfectly remembered the directions to the lab of the famous Pokémon Professor (or, in her mind, the amazing poet). Within a few minutes, we'd reached the hill leading to the lab, and I noted that Leaf and Gary were standing outside, chatting (or fighting, most likely). Gary had Leaf pinned against the wall, one hand supporting his weight and the other twirling a Poké Ball atop his pinkie finger.

He glanced back, noticing our presence, and winked at me, a signal for us to come up. Leaf pushed him back when she saw us approaching, and I could almost make out a hint of crimson on her cheeks the closer we got to the couple.

"Misty," she muttered, nodding in my direction. "And you must be Dawn. What a pleasure." She gave Dawn the biggest false smile she could muster, given she was under the pretense that Dawn was one of Gary's many girlfriends.

"Oh, Gary told you about me? Well, how sweet. And you are?" Dawn asked. I probably should've told Dawn her name, but oh well, too late for that.

"Leaf," she replied through clenched teeth. "Actually, he hasn't. Misty did though."

"I'm sure." Dawn turned to face Gary, beaming her brightest smile in his direction. "Hey, dollface, wanna go out tonight? We could, I dunno, go see a movie at the Cobb in Viridian, or maybe go out to eat somewhere," she seductively insisted, her high soprano voice trying to compel him to give an immediate yes as her fingers danced across the outline of his chest. "You know you'd love to." But he had to play his cards right in order to receive the outcome I'd planned out for him.

_Come on, Gary,_ I thought, watching him as he contemplated his answer. Instead he raised his eyebrows in her direction and shrugged his shoulders in reply. "What do you think, Leaf?" he asked, smirking over at the darker brunette who was lucky enough to have undoubtedly been in her latest argument with Gary when Dawn had gracefully interrupted.

Leaf scoffed. "What does it matter to me, Oak?" Despite the smug tone in her voice and the irritated expression plastered on her face, I could tell there was a hint of disapproval in her clear blue eyes. Almost like she wished he would say no.

"Well, contrary to popular belief, I think we used to be friends a few years ago, Leaf, and friends _always_ ask other friends their opinions, right?" he wondered, fully directing his attention at the defiant brunette.

"Since when did you decide to play God and make us friends again? Last time I checked I still hated you," she sneered, earning a groan of mock pain from the auburn-haired boy.

"Ouch, Leaf. That one kind of hurt," he remarked, gripping a hand to his heart.

"Oh, cry me a river, Gary," she muttered sarcastically. "Arceus knows you're as heartless as a Haunter." Dawn looked over poutily at Gary. I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the whole situation.

"Are we gonna go or not, Gare-bear?" she whined, and I could see the jealousy in Leaf's eyes.

"Of course, Dawn," he told her, smiling over at her. He cut his eyes in Leaf's direction and momentarily caught the flash of disappointment I also saw cross her face.

_Well, it's a start_, I thought as he directed his attention back toward the blunette at his arm.

"I'll be at Delia's to pick you up at eight, and we'll head to J. Alexander's to eat and then go watch _The Host_ at the Cobb."

I could just picture the jealousy eating at the inside of Leaf's stoic expression. It must have been hurting her so badly; I could only imagine what she was going through. It was such a shame that she wouldn't admit to her feelings for him. "Don't keep me waiting," he added, winking.

"Of course I won't!" Dawn exclaimed, wrapping her arms right around his neck and bringing his face even closer to hers until their noses touched. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and made sure his gaze wouldn't wander anywhere else but into Dawn's crystal blue eyes.

_And now a kiss to seal the deal_, I thought, watching them as their lips came closer and closer together.

"Wait!" Leaf exclaimed.

Gary pulled away from Dawn and turned to face the direction of the scream. "What, Leaf? Couldn't stand the thought of me kissing another girl, eh?" he asked, running his fingers through his spiky auburn hair.

"N-no! That's not it at all! Ugh! To think I'd honestly believed you'd changed, Gary Oak," Leaf grunted, an annoyed lilt in her normally sardonic alto tone. "First the tomboy chick Misty, and now this little witch named Dawn." Only she hadn't quite used the word _witch._

Dawn looked ready to explode, and I wasn't far from it myself, but we had to keep our cool. It was so _not_ the time to get into an argument with the darker brunette.

"Misty and I only went out once, thank you," he retorted, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

_Well, at least she's jealous, _I thought, holding Dawn back to keep her from jumping on Leaf.

"Call me a—Why you little—"

"Dawn, calm down," I whispered in her ear, rolling my eyes. Usually _I_ was the hothead of the group. "Just let it go." Dawn sighed, counting to ten in a soft whisper as she watched the rest of the argument unfold.

"We decided it'd be best to stay friends, since she'd just recently lost her first love to...an accident," Gary murmured. I couldn't help but detect a hint of suspicion in his voice, as if he knew something I didn't about Ash. Or knew _more_ than he should've, at any rate. "He's only been gone a few months now, and she's just not ready for a relationship at the moment." While Ash and I had never actually been together, the latter was kind of true. Who knew when I'd be ready to move on, especially when his ghost still followed me around like he did when he was still _alive_?

"So the player does have a heart," Leaf snorted. "Sure she wasn't just another one of your one-night stands?"

Apparently she'd forgotten that Dawn and I were listening, or she probably wouldn't have said that. _Then again, if she really likes Gary, she might've said any number of things,_ I thought to myself.

"What do you take me for, Leaf? I'm not a total stud, if that's what you're thinking. Sure, I may have messed around a few times, but those weren't just for the sake of it. For the most part they were serious relationships, contrary to what you think," he responded snarkily, earning a glare from the dark brunette. "And you'd know that if you ever bothered to look past my reputation and actually take the time to see for yourself."

For once, Leaf was struck speechless. But Gary still had plenty to say. "I'm not the man-hoe everyone makes me out to be, Leaf. Can't you just give me a chance?"

Leaf snorted. "Prove it then."

"What do you want me to do, Leaf? Drop my date with Dawn and take you out instead?" he asked, earning a grunt from the dark brunette.

"But won't Dawn be upset?" she wondered, glancing over at the blunette. "I mean, dropping your date with her definitely isn't the way to prove to me that you aren't just a player."

"Oh, so you _want_ me to take her out?" he prodded, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No! That's not what I'm saying at all!" Leaf exclaimed exasperatedly. "Ugh…" She shook her head, and that was when Dawn stepped in; either to blow up at Leaf for her earlier comments or to do what was actually planned, I wasn't totally sure.

"Teehee, silly old me. Gary, I forgot I had already made plans tonight with May to go see _The Host_ in Viridian. Why don't you go ahead and take Leaf out instead?" Dawn asked, winking at him so he knew what she was doing.

"Uh, sure. That okay with you, Leaf?" inquired Gary, cocking his head to the side as he awaited an answer from the girl.

I could see Leaf's face flush red as she nodded tentatively in reply. "I guess. But try any funny business and you can forget a second date, Oak," she told him, letting out a huff of defiance.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Green," he replied, smirking.

_I knew I could count on you!_ I shouted in my head, giving Dawn a barely visible thumbs up as she hugged Gary goodbye.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Leaf. See you later!" she added, strolling over to me and taking me by the arm so we could go.

I glanced back at Gary, who mouthed a "Thank you" in my direction before we completely walked out of sight, a broad grin plastered on my face.


	6. Chapter 6: A Shoulder To Lean On

**Chapter 6: A Shoulder To Lean On**

"By the way, thanks for helping me out, Dawn."

At the sound of her name, she turned her head around to face me and flashed me a smile. "No problem! I'm just glad I was able to help you guys—you, Gary, and Leaf, I mean. She acts like she hates him, but it's obvious that she's _so _in love with him; it was about time they got together, anyways."

"Yeah, I know right?" I agreed, giggling to myself. Dawn giggled as well.

I opened the door to the Ketchum residence and let the blunette go in before me. We both took a seat on the mahogany-colored love seat on the left side of the living room. We sat in silence for a while, and although I didn't really like it that way, I didn't have any idea what to say to her. Dawn didn't seem like she had any topics of conversation in mind either. Ash suddenly appeared right in front of me and offered a grin, which I immediately returned. It almost felt nice seeing Ghost Boy without a smirk or sarcasm in his eyes.

Dawn eyed me quizzically, probably noticing my smile and wondering what could possibly be on my mind, but decided not to question it, instead keeping her mouth shut. Finally, Dawn broke that silence when it had begun feeling comfortable. "So what Pokémon are you gonna use at the Wallace Cup?" When I didn't give her an answer after a few seconds, she then asked, "You already put some thought into it, right?"

Actually, I hadn't. Getting Leaf and Gary together had been more of a priority to me than the Wallace Cup, though I had decided to enter only a couple hours ago. Sure, it had still been lingering somewhere in the back of my mind, but I hadn't given it much of a thought.

Deciding that telling the truth would be the best option, I responded, "No. I've had other things on my mind and I totally forgot about it. I should've, though. It's only in a few days and I don't have much time to train."

"No need to worry!" Dawn reassured, using her signature catchphrase. "I'm here if you ever need help with appeals, and May's here too. It might actually be better if you practice with her, since she's a Top Coordinator and I'm not. And also, things must be hard with…" She seemed hesitant to finish her sentence, but it was unnecessary of her to do so. I knew exactly what she was about to say.

_Things must be hard with Ash gone._

"Yeah, but I'm pulling through pretty well, I guess," I said, feigning mourning. "It's gotta be especially hard for Delia. Losing her son at sixteen… I just can't imagine what she's been going through."

Awkward silence filled the room once again. I made eye contact with Ash, who was hovering above the floor in front of me and Dawn, looking somewhat forlorn himself after hearing what we had both said. I wished that I could explain everything to the blunette and tell her that Ash wasn't exactly dead, that he didn't disappear from the world. I wanted to tell her that his ghost was still here and that everything was going to be fine. But something was telling me that this was a secret that would be better off not being told to anyone. For now, at least.

Suddenly, Dawn stood up from her seat and stretched her arms out. "Well, I'm going to the backyard for some training." She took a Poké Ball from her belt, enlarged it, and released a Pokémon from it. Her starter Pokémon, Piplup, solidified from the white light that had come from the Poké Ball and stood in front of its Trainer. It cried out its name, invoking a light laugh to come out of the Coordinator. "Piplup, wanna go outside to train?"

"Piplup!" exclaimed the Penguin Pokémon, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Okay then!" Dawn picked her partner up and set it on her head. The Water-type Pokémon clung onto its Trainer's hat as she walked out the back door, waving to me as she made her way out, and I waved back.

"Great, it's always about being so depressed over me every time someone's about to say something about me," Ash muttered to himself right after Dawn had closed the door. He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why do people have to act so sad? All it's doing is making me tear up too!"

"Ash, you have to understand that the people who care about you all think you're… dead," I reminded him sternly, almost shuddering at the last word. "Of course people will be all depressed when they talk about you. They all miss you and they wish you were still here—I mean, you are, but they just can't see you."

"Yeah, I guess," Ash sighed, shrugging. "But it's just so hard for me to see everyone being so sad. I just wish they all knew."

Right when I was about to reply, the front door of the house slammed open, a loud banging noise reverberating throughout the room as the doorknob made contact with the wall to the left of it. I jumped in my seat, shocked by the clamorous crash. Surprise was plastered on Ash's face as well. I swiveled my head around and found myself face-to-face with May, who looked absolutely enraged, her hands clenched by her sides and her eyebrows furrowed. Yet somewhere in her sapphire blue eyes, I could also sense despair, hopelessness, and agony, like there was something she was trying to fight off. But whatever it was that was causing her to be incredibly livid, I couldn't tell.

She made her way to the empty half of the love seat Dawn had previously been occupying, her movement something between stomping and stumbling. She crashed onto the empty seat beside me and buried her face in her hands. Attempting to try to comfort her, I placed my hand on her back reassuringly, but all the brunette did was gently shrug it off.

"May, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

She hesitated for a moment, biting down on her bottom lip nervously. I could easily tell that this was a sensitive topic for her. I was about to say that she didn't have to talk about it if she didn't want to, but she then spoke up. "It's… Brendan," she responded.

"What about him?"

"Well… I'm not exactly sure how to start," she admitted, letting out a dry laugh before continuing on. "I guess, um… It happened at WildKat Café in Viridian City, but I bet Dawn told you that already. So we were just on a date and enjoying ourselves and all. Apparently, he actually decided to go on that date because…" She sniffled. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, and one was even about to trickle down. May wiped it away before it could fall. "…because he was wondering why I talk about Drew so much. He thought that I actually like him instead and he wanted to ask me about him. So I told him everything I knew about him: how he looked, his fame as a Coordinator, and a bunch of other things."

The brunette paused for a moment and stopped explaining the situation. When I was sure that she wouldn't continue without a little motivation, I decided to pipe up. "So what happened after that?"

She sighed, and the tears that had been welling up in her eyes were finally sloshing down onto her cheeks. She didn't bother to wipe them away this time. "Brendan… he thought that… that I liked Drew… more than I liked him. And… and he… broke up with…"

But she didn't finish. Immediately, she brought me into a tight hug as her salty tears began to stain my shirt; it wasn't like it mattered to me, though. She needed someone right now after her breakup with Brendan, and I was the only one there for her at the moment. I rubbed her back soothingly, telling her that everything would be okay. But even I was unsure of that. Would she ever get over this, or would it forever leave a scar on her?

"May, it'll be all right," I whispered to her comfortingly. "Don't worry; I'm here."

She smiled ruefully. "Thanks, Misty," she sighed. "But to tell the truth… I'm not entirely sure if I ever actually liked Brendan."

That confused me. If she wasn't sure if she ever had feelings for him, then why did she agree to going out with him in the first place? And why would she be so upset now? "What do you mean?" I asked her, disbelief etched in my voice. "You said yes when he asked you out, right?"

"Yeah, I did," she agreed, obviously frustrated. "I thought it would be okay for me to go out with him. Brendan's a cool guy and he's pretty good looking, I have to admit. But when I started dating him, I realized that, maybe, being single is better than going out with someone you don't actually have feelings for. I mean, Brendan was the one who dumped me, but I still feel like the blame is all on me. If I'd never said yes in the first place, we wouldn't have to go through this mess at all." She rested her forehead on my shoulder, still embracing me.

I didn't know what to tell her then. I had never gone on many dates before and I wasn't the best at giving advice when it had to do with relationships. Words of comfort didn't come to me, but I was hoping that the silence would be good enough as a substitute. The both of us remained in the position we were in, and letting go from each other seemed like the last thing on our minds.

"If only I didn't have those–" She abruptly cut herself off and clamped her mouth shut, her eyes widening in what I believed was horror.

I perked a brow at her. What was she trying to say? "If only you didn't have what?" I questioned.

She didn't respond. May pressed her lips together into a thin line, and I could tell that she was reluctant about whatever she was going to say, debating in her mind whether or not it would be safe to tell me, most likely. She clenched and unclenched her fists, her sweaty palms then clinging onto my arms like her life depended on it. She took in a long, shaky breath and let it out just as raggedly as she had taken it in. I could feel her body tensing as she clutched onto me a bit tighter than she previously had. Tears were once again streaming down her cheeks, and I took it as some sort of cue to console her once again and make sure she wasn't feeling down.

"May, you didn't have what?" I inquired again, rephrasing the question.

"It's… complicated," was her answer.

"I bet it is, because it seems like she's having trouble saying it, whatever _it_ is," Ash suddenly chimed in, trying to sound uplifting, but to no avail.

I sent him a glare and hissed under my breath, "Shut up, Ghost Boy." May eyed me inquisitively, but she didn't question it.

"Or what, Mist?" he retorted sarcastically. "You're gonna punch my face and tell me about how I'm such an idiot in front of _May_? I don't think so." He shook his head playfully, almost like he was encouraging me to roll my eyes. Which I did.

"Misty, is there something wrong?" May asked, scrutinizing my face. I turned my attention back onto the brunette next to me, trying to cover up the obvious ire on my face thanks to Ash. "You were looking at something weirdly and you said something about shutting up to a ghost boy…" Suddenly, her face lit up, almost like she had just solved a huge puzzle.

Right then, I knew what she was thinking. She was about to open her mouth, probably to ask the one thing I feared she would ask, but I interrupted her before she could say anything. "Oh, that's nothing!" I quickly lied, hoping that I sounded convincing enough for her so she could get her mind off the matter. "I was just… you know…" A blush crept up my neck due to embarrassment. I had absolutely no idea how to respond to her with a lie and make her believe it. To tell the truth, I couldn't even think of a good enough lie that could possibly persuade her.

"You were what?" she pressed on. I could tell that she was trying to get an answer out of me, merely because she was curious.

My eyes darted over to Ash, but I made sure to keep my head low so May wouldn't notice that I wasn't looking at her, but rather someone else whom she couldn't even see. Eyeing him in desperation, I tried my best to convey the message that I was in need of help to answer May. He simply just shrugged and said, "Well, I honestly don't know what to say either, but if you're that desperate, I'd just tell her the truth. How bad could it be, anyways?"

Only problem was that I didn't know how I should tell her the truth. Sure, I could've just easily and simply stated it and waited for some sort of surprised reaction from her, but considering her occasional behavior changes recently, I was actually a bit terrified to see her possible reaction to it. And I definitely wasn't the type of person who could imply such a thing verbally, especially regarding something like this. I wasn't sure how to hint at such a thing, really. I was never one for subtlety.

"Misty, can I ask you something?" May looked into my emerald green eyes, awaiting an answer from me.

"What is it, May?" I said, urging her on.

"Did Madame Z. really mean that you can see Ash? And if she did, can you really see him?"

I felt my breath hitch at her sudden question. Immediately, I was slightly panicking and my heart was pumping quickly, my nerves getting the better of me. A few beads of perspiration began to form under my ginger-colored bangs on my forehead. _Well, at least I won't have to worry about how to tell May about Ash being a ghost anymore, _I thought to myself_, trying to sound cheerful._

"You might as well tell her," Ash suggested as he fixed the cap on his head that was just as ghostly looking as his body was. "She's pretty much cornered you."

I sighed and scowled at the raven-haired ghost. He was basically telling me to be blunt about it. I knew that I was good at doing that, but I was afraid of hurting May, especially after what she had already been through just recently. If it were just normal May, I was pretty sure that she would be a bit startled, but okay with it nonetheless. But her strange behavior was what I worried about. What would she think of it? Would it tick her off if she knew that I had been keeping it a secret for all this time? All I hoped for was that her reaction wouldn't be too horrifyingly out of character for her.

One thing was for sure: mustering up the courage to confess that Madame Zettl was right all along and Ash was really a ghost who was stalking me was hard enough. Hearing the words come out of my own mouth was something else.

"…Yeah," I finally admitted after contemplating the consequences of telling her the truth. "You see, he's been following me for some time and I'm the only person who can see him. According to Madame Z., his ghost is still around because he's got some unfinished business about me, but whatever it is, I don't know. Either he won't tell me or he actually doesn't know, which I doubt." The words tumbled out like a jumbled mess, and I was a bit surprised that May caught onto my every word.

I was actually somewhat astonished when I saw a genuine smile gracing the brunette's lips. I had been anticipating her to have an expression of bewilderment and aggravation on her face, but it was the complete opposite of that. "Hmm… maybe that fortune-teller isn't a total whackjob after all. She was right about you seeing a boy."

"Yeah," I agreed. "But I'm still trying to figure out what she meant when she said that I'm trying to find my own way." I really was. But what could I expect? Fortune-tellers never told a fortune directly; they'd always make it seem murky and fuzzy, and everything would only fit together with time.

She let out a laugh before saying, "I'm pretty sure you'll find out soon. You've got Ash with you, after all. And he probably has something to do with it." She observed her surroundings before asking, "By the way, where's Ash right now anyway?"

I gestured to my left, and May's gaze drifted over to where I was pointing. She said, "Hey Ash. I know I can't see you, but I just wanted to say hi. I really miss you. I wish I could see you, but I can't, so…"

A bittersweet grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "I miss you too, May."

"He says that he misses you, May," I told her. A sweet smile appeared on her face, and it seemed like her previous downtrodden state about her breakup with Brendan had vanished.

Right then, I started thinking about the fortune May had received for some reason. The first two parts of it were fairly obvious: May was having a very successful career as a Coordinator, and teaching was a very plausible path for her to take in the future. All of that made sense. But what about the part regarding May having her sights set on one certain boy? Obviously, it meant she had feelings for someone, but his identity was still a mystery to me. I had this strange hunch that it was none other than her chartreuse-haired rival, Drew Hayden, but I wasn't totally sure about that.

_It wouldn't hurt to ask her, would it?_ I thought.

"Hey May," I began, "when Madame Z. said that you've had your sights on one boy, which boy did she mean?"

She cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brows. "I've actually been thinking about that for some time too. The only three guys who're important to me are Ash, Drew, and Brendan. I know Ash isn't it because, well, you know." Luckily, Ash was too dense to understand the implication. But I did well enough, since my cheeks grew warm in understanding. "Brendan, well, that was the only time I've ever went out with him, so obviously, I haven't been toying with his heart, just like she said. And Drew… I guess it's possible that it's him. I mean, out of all the guys I've ever dated, he's the only one I went out with more than once. But I still doubt it's him. He's just a rival and, maybe, a friend."

"What about all those roses he gave you?" I asked teasingly.

"Those were for Beautifly," May replied.

I rolled my eyes at her. How oblivious could she get? She was even bordering Ash's level of ignorance. "Whatever," I jested.

"Misty, I'm not mad at you or anything, but why didn't you tell me earlier?" the sapphire-eyed brunette questioned, tilting her head to the side.

I shrugged. "Well, I guess I was unsure of myself. I was nervous to see your reaction."

May adjusted the bandanna around her head and sighed. "To tell the truth, I've actually been keeping something pretty big from you too."

I raised a brow at her. "What do you mean? Don't tell me a ghost's been stalking you too," I replied, smirking playfully at her.

She let out a giggle before a serious expression crossed her face. "You see, I've had these… dreams, and I have them all the time when I'm asleep. Okay, I know that it sounds pretty normal so far, but each time I have one of these dreams, I always see this strange man in them. He seems pretty weird, if you ask me. He's got the creepiest pitch black eyes and hair, and there's this demeanor about him that makes him so scary to everyone. A bunch of things happen in them, but I can't remember anything off the top of my head."

"Okay, so you've been having dreams. Is that it?" I inquired. So far to me, it sounded like these dreams May was having weren't that significant. I assumed that this man she was talking about was just someone who was on her mind a lot.

"There's more to it," May explained. "They also appear as visions sometimes when I'm totally awake, although they usually come to me as dreams. I was already beginning to suspect something, but then I realized that I started having all these behavior changes once in a while. I don't know what those are about, but I think they're some sort of side effect of the dreams I've been having."

"So you think these dreams are why you've been acting different lately?"

"That's what I'm assuming. But something else that confuses me is that every time I have a dream or a vision, I always hear that man mention my name, your name, and even Ash's and Drew's. I know I sound like I'm jumping to conclusions, but I think that what I've been going through has something to do with Ash being a ghost. I mean, it makes sense, since he mentions you and Ash a lot, but what does anything have to do with me and Drew?"

"Good point, but to tell the truth, I don't really know myself," I replied. "But do you really think so?" May nodded.

It did sound like she might have been jumping to conclusions, but it was definitely something to think about. It wasn't every day that someone saw the same man in every single dream. It wasn't every day that someone actually had visions either. And why did the man always mention our names? Were we of some significance?

And most importantly, was May right when she said that they might have to do with Ash's disappearance?

* * *

"Hey, Delia," I greeted as she stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room. May and I were playing Slapjack on the floor while Dawn was in the bathroom, making sure her hair was in perfect condition. So far, there had only been one Jack that was laid onto the pile of cards, and I had successfully slapped it before May could. But after that, it seemed like neither one of us had any more Jacks in our hands.

"Hey, girls," she greeted back as she took a seat on the couch and turned on the television. The screen flickered on and showed some sort of soap opera. Delia picked up the remote and was flipping through the channels. "Lunch is almost ready. I'll set out the dishes and plates once Dawn's done."

Rolling my eyes, I commented, "She really needs to stop fussing over her looks and focus on more important things." I laid down the next card in my hand, and fortunately, it was finally another Jack. I immediately slapped it, May slapping it by less than a second later. The brunette let out a groan, realizing that if she didn't move faster, then I was definitely going to win. I smirked before collecting all the cards into a pile and placing it at the bottom of my hand.

"May's losing big time," Ash muttered to himself, stating the obvious.

"Well, she really does her best to look pretty, and even though she goes a bit overboard sometimes, she really does look gorgeous," May said as she laid down the next card in her hand. A Queen.

Suddenly, I had an idea. A strange one, but an idea. "Hey Delia, do you happen to know Madame Zettl by any chance?" _I mean, it seemed like you knew her when I told you about the fortune-teller, and Ash even told me that you know her, but I wanna hear it from you_, I wanted to add on, but I decided against it.

Immediately, she turned pale and her eyes narrowed at nothing in particular. It definitely seemed like Delia knew that fortune-teller by the looks of it, but whatever happened between those two didn't seem like good memories for her. "…Yes, I do. What made you ask?"

"Ash told me, actually," I responded. May looked a bit startled by my answer, but she remained quiet.

Delia let out a dry laugh. "Ah, my little boy. I miss him so much." There was a gloomy expression on her face for a moment, but she then flashed a small smile. "But anyways, I have met Madame Zettl before, back when I was still about your age."

She seemed to hesitate for a moment before she continued on. "You see, back when I was still a teenager, my boyfriend and I decided to drive up to Cerulean City for the Cerulean City Waterflower Festival, just like you and May had. Your mother was the Gym Leader then, Misty, and just like your sisters, she had a passion for water shows. She was absolutely spectacular, and I really wanted to watch one of them. And so my boyfriend and I did, and that performance was just beautiful."

"Well, now I know why your sisters love doing water shows so much," Ash mused.

"I hope she wasn't as annoying as Daisy, Lily, and Violet are," I muttered. I finally realized that May and I had stopped our card game to listen to Delia's story, so I didn't bother to lay down the next card in my hand.

"Oh, she was definitely quirky–I can give you that–although I don't really know your sisters that well, Misty, I don't believe your mother was," Delia assured, chuckling. "So back to the story. After watching the water show, we saw Madame Zettl's purple tent with that fancy cursive on it."

"That's how it looked like when we visited her, too," May pointed out.

"Hmm… so I see she hasn't changed, I suppose," Delia mumbled, but then shook her head, realizing that she had gone off track. "So my boyfriend and I thought that receiving our fortunes wouldn't be that bad. There wasn't anything to lose, after all. We went in and found Madame Z. sitting near a table with a crystal ball. She was a petite woman, and she probably looked younger back then than she does now. She pretty much looked like your stereotypical fortune-teller.

"I was up first to get my fortune. Madame Z. said that she could see both good and bad things in my future. She said that I was going to get married to the man I loved and we'd raise a child together. I was ecstatic to hear that, and so was he. But then she said something about a betrayal in the family that had something to do with the child, and that a friend of the child would be the one to put an end to this somehow. That little part was not very exciting for us to hear. But we were still hoping for the best, since she did mention something about the child's friend.

"Then he went next. Madame Zettl said that his future was very murky and fuzzy, but one thing that was fairly obvious to her was darkness. There was a lot of darkness in his future. I could tell that he was terrified by what she had said, and I admit that it was pretty frightening for me too. But then she said that the same child who would help out my child would also help my boyfriend out as well. Or something like that."

The three (or four, if Ash was included) of us sat in silence as May, Ash, and I took in what Delia had just said. The solemn look on her face seemed to have relaxed a bit after she had told the story, but overall, her body still seemed to be somewhat rigid. As I reflected on what I had been told, I pondered over it all. I assumed that the child Madame Z. had told Delia about was Ash, since he was the only child she ever had. And her boyfriend she had mentioned was probably Ash's father by the looks of it. But a betrayal? What was that about? What kind of darkness was Madame Z. talking about when she had read Delia's boyfriend's fortune, and who was he? And who was this kid who would save basically everything? It had to be some friend of Ash, but he had a lot of friends. It was almost impossible to determine which one out of them all was the one in the fortune.

"Delia, that means that your boyfriend is Ash's dad, right?" May questioned, almost like she was reading my mind. Delia responded with a nod. "Well, then who is he?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know too," Ash murmured, drifting closer in so he could hear more clearly.

Delia suddenly became white faced and her hands clenched into fists on her lap. She tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear before she finally opened her mouth to speak. "Well, he was—"

All of a sudden, the sound of the doorbell echoed from the front door, and all of our heads whipped around. Delia stood up from her seat and straightened her shirt. "I'll go get it. I wonder who it is. I didn't invite anyone over…" She strode off to open the door for the visitor and I could hear her gasp with delight from where I was. "May, there's someone who wants to see you!" she exclaimed as a familiar teenage boy followed her into the room. The brunette sitting next to me on the ground sucked in a breath, and then beamed.

There was no denying it. That easily recognizable grass-colored hair, those emerald orbs that almost matched mine, and that classic smirk of his were all I needed to realize who he was. He was dressed in his usual black T-shirt, purple long-sleeved cardigan, and cyan-colored pants—the outfit he was found in almost all the time on the covers of various Trainer and Coordinator magazines. It was the Prince of Hoenn: Drew Hayden.

"Drew, I didn't expect to see you here!" May exclaimed as she ran up to Drew to greet him. "What are you doing in Pallet Town?"

"I was in Viridian City for a while because of the Wallace Cup over there, but then Solidad and Harley told me that you were here, and she forced me into coming to see you," Drew grumbled a bit harshly, but then a small grin appeared. "But anyways, it's good to see you too, May… I guess. I suppose you're entering the Wallace Cup as well?"

I chuckled to myself. I was definitely not surprised to know that he was forced to come to Pallet Town just to see May. It sounded like something the two older Coordinators would do. Drew's feelings for the brunette were so obvious. Too bad May was too dense to realize he had fallen for her big time, or else there would already be news in every gossip magazine about them being in a relationship.

"You bet I am!" May replied, nodding her head with fervor. "And so are Misty and Dawn! But I'm pretty sure you already knew Dawn was entering."

"Misty's entering?" The grasshead raised a brow and looked over May's shoulder at me. Smirking, he commented, "That certainly makes things interesting. You're a Water-type Trainer, so you'll definitely be able to use the field to your advantage. I'll be looking forward to your performance then."

"Yours too," I said, getting up to my feet to make my way over to him. I offered a hand to him, and Drew accepted it. "But it's great to see you, Drew! Will you be staying in Pallet for a while?"

"Yeah, I'm planning to book a room at the inn down the road from here," he responded, flicking a lock of green hair out of his face. "I'm gonna head back to Viridian City the day before the Wallace Cup. I promised Solidad I would, anyways."

"Hey, Drew, why don't you stay with us?" Delia suggested, coming into the conversation. Ash floated over next to me to listen in to what we were saying. "I know that Misty, May, and Dawn are already staying here, but we still have plenty of space for you."

"No thanks, Ms. Ketchum," Drew said, rejecting her offer. "I'll be fine on my own."

"Come on, Drew!" May suddenly urged. "You won't have to be spending any money if you stay here!"

"She's right, you know," I added on. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes in response.

He eyed May with a blank expression on his face for a moment before he let out a sigh and shoved his hands into his pockets. "…Fine."

"Yay!" May shrieked, grabbing the green-haired boy into a hug. His cheeks turned a crimson red as he slowly returned the embrace. Smirking, I knew that he was definitely surprised by her actions, but it was obvious that he was pleased, probably even happy, by it. After they had let go, she said, "Trust me, Drew. You won't regret it!"

_Of course he won't,_ I thought to myself. _In fact, he wants it._

At that moment, Dawn ambled into the living room, stroking her blue hair to make sure that it was just the way she wanted it to be. After repeating that process for what had to be a minute, she placed her cap on, and once again smoothed out all her strands of hair until she was satisfied with how it looked. Her cobalt-colored eyes locked onto Drew's, and once realization had sunk in, she exclaimed, "Oh, Drew! I didn't know you were gonna come! Are you here to see May?"

I couldn't help but giggle at the blunette's outburst. Even she was aware of Drew's attraction to May. I mean, by now, who wasn't? Even the oblivious Ashy Boy hinted at Drew's feelings for the brunette. Only May's ignorance was separating them.

"I'll leave that for you to answer," Drew replied nonchalantly. "I'm heading to Viridian soon for the Wallace Cup soon, but you already knew that."

"Why does he always have to be so stuck up?" May muttered to herself, rolling her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Delia, should I show Drew to his room?"

"Yes please, May," Delia responded. "Oh, and he can have Ash's old room, if he's fine with that."

Drew's eyes darted over to me, a sly grin on his face. I scrunched my nose and narrowed my eyes at him, telling him to back off. I knew he wouldn't, though. He then waved a dismissive hand at Delia. "It's okay, Ms. Ketchum. I'll be fine with whatever room I get." _I know that Misty would be jealous if I had his room_, I knew he wanted to say. Thank Arceus he didn't.

"Drew, I insist; you're welcome to use it," Delia persisted, remaining calm and smiling.

"I wouldn't mind him using my room," Ash mumbled to himself. "It's not like I actually use it, anyways." It wasn't like anyone heard him, though. Well, except for me.

"Don't worry, Drew. I'm sure Ash would be okay with it," May reasoned.

Huffing, Drew finally agreed. "Well, I'm sure he'd be fine with it." He looked at me playfully yet again, and I was tempted to smack him upside the head. I had to restrain myself from doing so, or else Ash, May, Dawn, and Delia would think that I was crazy. Plus, I didn't want to anger his brunette rival for a particular reason.

"Okay then!" May chirped, grabbing Drew's wrist. "Just follow me." But he wasn't necessarily following her; it was much more like she was gently dragging him.

Once the two Coordinators had walked off, Dawn giggled. "They're so cute together."

"I can't believe she hasn't realized how in love Drew is with her," I muttered. "How many roses has he given her anyways?"

"Hundreds, I bet," Dawn answered, even though my question was rhetorical. The blunette sniffed and asked, "Is that lunch I'm smelling?"

"Oh yes, thanks for reminding me, Dawn," Delia said and rushed into the kitchen. "Well, it's ready. Could someone please call May and Drew in here?"

"Nah, I'm pretty sure May will come in at any moment," I assured. "And Drew's gonna come with her."

"Is that hamburgers I smell?" a feminine voice asked from another room.

I sighed, yet I couldn't help but smile. "See? What did I tell you?"

* * *

**A/N: Well, there's May for you; there's no denying her appetite. :P**

**Yay, Drew's here! That means Contestshipping! xD**

**Hmm… Delia seems a bit suspicious, doesn't she?**

**Leave a review, please! I'd like to know what you thought of this!**


	7. Announcement

Hey, guys, it's Sissy here. Sarah and I are both so glad you are all enjoying _Finding My Way_ so far and all the support we've received for the fic is amazing. We love everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed it. Seriously, we couldn't have done it without you guys. xD

Unfortunately and fortunately, though, we have some news: we've decided to rewrite the story.

It's not that we're not proud of what we have, but there were some choppy/unrealistic things that should be fixed, the story's beginning few chapters could be improved, and there was some character OOCness. We plan on making sure everything is fixed in this rewrite so everything is as perfect as possible and everything makes sense and is realistic.

We want to make sure the rewrite will clear up things that could have been confusing to you in the first FMW and make sure it'll be much better. When the rewrite will be up, we're not exactly sure, but we'll try to have it up as quickly as we can. As for now, you'll probably have to keep up with our profile for more information regarding the rewrite. :)

Well, that's it for now. I hope you all will be looking forward to the rewrite! :D


End file.
